Archive of Our Own

Leia had one Life Day wish. And it was that her Life Day wouldn’t be tinged with sadness this year

She hated that the wish made her feel ungrateful. She had two loving parents and a huge (albeit messy) extended family, big, warm homes – one on Naboo where her mom grew up and a spacious apartment on Coruscant - food to eat, and presents at every occasion that called for them. But every Life Day was heavy with an unspoken, yearning grief that her parents, uncles, aunts, all the people in her life, tried to hide from her. In her eight years of life, she’d learned a thing or two about adults trying to hide things from her when they thought they were protecting her. Learned to recognize it, see it for what it was. She’d managed to get the story out of her parents several years ago, as they couldn’t quite keep the truth from her due to her connection to the Force.

Her mouth twisted in a pout in the cold morning air, the dreariness of the gray clouds reflective of her mood as she stomped around the grounds outside their home in Naboo, hands shoved into the pockets of her puffy coat as she sulked.

She’d been born a twin. She’d had a brother. His name was Luke.

Luke. The name panged in her heart every time she thought of it. They never said it aloud, like it would summon a spirit that would haunt them. Sometimes the name infuriated her and she cursed it, cursed it for all of the sadness it wrought. Then she’d chide herself for being unkind. It wasn’t his fault, after all.

He’d been stolen when they were babies, by the same evil forces that tried to steal Leia. The kidnapping attempt on Leia had been foiled. The kidnapping on attempt on Luke hadn’t. And it had left a raw, gaping wound, his absence almost physical in how it hung over them, a shadow.

When Leia learned the truth of her twin, of the missing piece of her, it was like she could finally name something that she’d learned to live silently with. It was both harder and easier, knowing.

Mostly though, she was glad she knew about Luke, even it hurt. The idea of never knowing him, of him being forgotten, was worse, far worse than the constant ache of knowing he’d existed but she’d never known him.

But still, she couldn’t deny it hurt, the thought of him out there, hurt, scared, or even dead. The thought they may never know, not for sure. He’d completely vanished in the Force, which didn’t necessarily mean he was dead. It could mean he was just so far away they couldn’t sense him, or someone was shielding his presence from them. The kidnappers had consisted of Sith, the same who served under Darth Sidious and tried to topple the Republic.

The thought made Leia shudder, and she hated how her imagination ran wild with what could have happened to her brother. She knew she wasn’t alone in this. Leia had observed the unrelenting sadness on her mother’s face when she didn’t know Leia was looking, the cold fury twisting her father’s features as he paced, the grief shining in Uncle Obi-Wan’s eyes.

That pain was more apparent during the holidays, when they all tried to pretend that someone wasn’t missing.

Sometimes, she felt guilty. That it was her, and not him.

The whole thing was further complicated by the fact that sometimes, sometimes, she could swear she felt someone calling to her for help. Her parents, especially her father, tried to explain it was just grief, loss, echoing in the Force – that he felt it too, especially after they’d largely given up the search, the hope of ever finding him - but Leia wasn’t so sure.

Adults always thought they knew everything. Leia huffed, her breath fogging in front of her.

They didn’t listen to her when she explained this feeling, but only looked at her with barely masked pity, trying to placate her with quiet words.

Like Leia didn’t know the difference between loss, and something tugging at her in the Force.

That feeling was particularly loud now, though still muddled, as though someone or something was trying to obscure the frequency.

It was infuriating. Whatever was causing it, she wanted to find the source and -

A tiny sound brought her to a sudden stop, ears perked.

She glanced around, tense. Their home and grounds were very well guarded and protected – her father had made sure of it, after everything that had happened, after Luke - but that didn’t mean nothing could get through.

Leia had been trained very well in the ways of self-defense, in observing her surroundings. She knew when to run, when to hide, when to fight. With sharp eyes, she narrowed in on the barest rustling of the thick queen’s heart bushes near the garden wall.

Slowly, Leia crept forward, eyes sharp. It could be just an animal, drawn to the flowers. A lot of wildlife loved their plants. Or the wind.

Something tan caught her eye, a panicked gasp cutting through the air.

Leia gasped too, stumbling back at the sight of shockingly blue eyes staring at her, huge with fear.

There, in the bushes, was a boy, huddled against the wall. He was small and thin, with matted, dirty blond hair. He wore a tan tunic and pants with worn, matching boots, the clothes torn and dirty. Cuts and bruises covered every inch of visible skin, thick, scabbing lacerations circling his wrists and welts on his cheeks that began on either side of his mouth. He visibly trembled as watched Leia.

She reached for him in the Force and under the fear and pain felt a curious sensation that was hard to explain – like she couldn’t quite focus, like doing a scan of a crowd and finding nothing out of the ordinary.

Strange.

The boy hunched back, eyes darting around as if looking for an escape.

Leia’s fear was replaced with curiosity and concern. He was clearly on the run from something, and hurt and scared.

“May I join you?” she asked.

Confusion painted the boy’s face, his brow furrowed and nose scrunched up. “Huh?”

“Can I sit with you?” Leia clarified.

The boy stared up at her, and Leia waited with all the patience she could muster, until he stammered out, “Y-yes.”

Leia nodded, and slowly lowered herself to her knees next to him underneath the bush, wincing as the cool, damp earth seeped through her pants. His wide eyes followed her every movement, his breath quick.

“I’m Leia. What’s your name?”

The boy shook his head frantically, pleading in a hushed voice, “Please don’t tell anyone I’m here, I can leave, I wasn’t gonna hurt anyone or, or steal anything, I swear!”

“I know,” Leia agreed, even though she didn’t quite. She just had a gut feeling. “You aren’t in trouble, no one is going to hurt you. You don’t have to leave okay?”

His eyes narrowed suspiciously, and Leia almost laughed. This must be what her mom meant about people who ‘wore their heart on their sleeves’. The expression on his face kind of reminded her of one her father made when she tried to pull off a scheme.

“What’s your name?” Leia repeated.

The boy shrugged.

“Don’t you have one?” Leia pressed, a cold wind making her shiver. How long had he been out here? He must be freezing, hiding in the dark in those rags!

Pulling his knees up to his chest and hugging them tightly he muttered, “I don’t know.”

“Oh.” That was not the answer she was expecting. “Well, what should I call you, then?”

Blue eyes fixed on her. “You don’t have to call me anything. I’ll...I’ll leave and you’ll never see me again.”

“Don’t leave!” Leia protested, desperate and not sure why, another gust of wind cutting through her clothes. “It’s supposed to snow! You can’t be out in those clothes if it snows, you’ll freeze! Besides it’s Life Day!”

Eyebrows stitched together in confusion once again. “What’s Life Day?”

“What’s Life Day?” Leia repeated in shock. “What, have been living under a rock?”

The boy visibly shuddered, glancing away.

Right. More important things right now. And her mother always told her she should try being more tactful.

“Come on. We’re going inside,” she informed him decisively.

“What?” the boy whipped his head around to gawk at her.

“We’re going inside, to my home, it’s too cold to be out here.” She held out her hand, and he stared at it.

“No, I...I can’t! I’ll – it’s not safe!”

“You’re safe here. Me, my mom and dad, we’ll keep you safe,” Leia assured him, knowing she’d do whatever she could to protect this boy, to make him feel safer.

The boy shook his head furiously. “No, I mean -”

“We can help!” Leia insisted, holding out her hand again.

The boy stared at it again, his own fingers twitched around the threadbare cloth covering his knees as if he was trying to keep himself from taking it.

Leia poured as much security and honesty as she could in the Force, pushing it towards him.

His grip relaxed, and slowly, timidly, he reached for her with a trembling hand.

“Leia! LEIA!”

Her father’s voice rang out, thick with worry that often sounded like anger. At the intimidating voice, the boy snatched his hand away, burying his head in his knees with a quiet whimper, violently shaking.

Leia inwardly cursed her father’s poor timing.

“It’s okay, I promise,” she whispered. “That’s just my dad. He sounds mean, but he’s a big softie.”

Blue eyes peeked up at her.

Her father called her name again, the stomping sounds of his footsteps getting closer to their hiding place.

With an all-suffering sigh, Leia stood, swiping her hands at her damp and stained pants and plastering on her brightest smile as she stepped out of the bush just as her dad was nearly upon them.

“Hello, father!” she greeted brightly. She would need to lay on the charm thick to get her dad to agree to her plan.

He narrowed his eyes at her, Padmé coming to a stop next to him, wrapped in her shawl. Around them, snowflakes were starting to swirl and thicken, patches of white already dotting the ground.

“What were you doing back there?”

“Well, you see, I have made a friend.”

Her father’s eyes were practically slits now. “A friend?”

“Yes. And as it is Life Day, I invited him to our celebration. That’s the spirit of Life Day, after all.”

“What are you talking about honey?” her mother asked. “It’s too cold for you to be out here playing, let’s get inside.”

Her father’s gaze cut to the bush, and Leia darted in front of it, smiling.

“Who is back there?” he demanded harshly. “Come out, or I’ll make you come out.”

Leia glared at him with a huff, but was ignored.

“Now!” the man shouted, one hand on his lightsaber. Behind him, her mother tensed.

“You’re so dramatic,” Leia groaned.

“Leia-” Anakin snapped, his gaze instantly drawn to a rustling in the bushes.

“Slowly!” her father ordered, shuffling Leia behind him, her mother’s hands gripping Leia’s shoulders.

“Be nice! He’s my friend!” Leia demanded.

The boy slowly stumbled out of the bush, curled up as much as he could, knees shaking, as though he expected to be struck at any moment. The fear was palpable, and Leia felt terrible at the sight of it. She’d promised she wouldn’t tell anyone he was here. What if she lost his trust?

Determined, Leia executed a move she’d done a dozen times before and slipped free from her mother, ignoring her startled admonishment, dashing forward to stand protectively in front of the boy.

“Get away from him, Leia!”

“No! I told him we’d protect him, that we’d keep him safe!”

“Who are you?! How did you get in here?!” Her father’s angry eyes sparked as they fixed on the boy, and under the intensity of it, Luke shrank behind her with a whine, ducking his head, his blond bangs obscuring his eyes.

“I already told you -” Leia started haughtily, but her father cut in.

“The Force shielding around these grounds only allows for friends and family. How did you get in?”

The boy hiccupped in quiet, suppressed fear.

“Anakin,” her mother implored, her eyes taking in the boy, no doubt making note of the boy’s injuries, his ripped clothes, the shivers wracking his tiny body.

Good. Compassionate Mother Mode activated.

“It’s cold. Let’s figure this out inside.”

“He’s a stranger that shouldn’t be here.”

“Please dad,” Leia batted her eyes in the way she knew caused him so melt every time. Well, most every time. “It’s Life Day, and he needs our help.”

Anakin glared at her, and she glared right back, not backing down, until he noticeably softened. “Alright. But I’m watching you, kid, and if you put one toe out of line, you’re out in the snow. Got it?”

“Ummm, maybe I should just leave?” His voice was tiny and shaky and scared, all but swallowed by the chilly wind.

“Nope, we need to get you some food and warm clothes, and I want to show you my droid,” Leia argued.

The boy perked at that, but not at the food, or the warmth, or the clothes. “Droid?”

“Yeah, c’mon!” She tugged at his sleeve, and he slipped a bit in the accumulating snow.

“Careful,” her mother chided, soft, and a quick glance up revealed her eyes were wide and worried, taking in the angry welts around the boy’s wrists. “Let’s get...what’s your name?”

The question was warm, as she leaned down a bit to be more on Luke’s level.

“Oh. Ummm,” the boy stuttered, big eyes darting to where Anakin loomed behind him, arms crossed and back to Padmé, uncertainty and fear painted on his bruised features.

“I don’t know,” he murmured.

“You don’t know?” her father repeated incredulously, while Padme’s own expression only grew more concerned.

“That’s alright,” Leia’s mother assured him, the boy pulling at his sleeves in shame. “Come inside, we’ll get you settled and maybe we can pick something out together, sound good?”

A moment passed, the snowfall picking up, before the boy gave a jerky nod, and Padmé flashed him a soft smile.

“Follow me.”

Leia all but cheered, her fingers latched in the sleeve of the boy’s tunic as she tugged him forward, following in her mother’s footsteps, Anakin close behind them. Noticing a small limp in her friend, Leia slowed her pace, watching him out of her periphery.

Still, he glanced around furtively, as though taking stock of every potential escape.

Leia knew her father clocked it too. She gripped his sleeve more tightly, trying to signal to all of them the boy was staying.

It was warm inside, the temperature difference enough that Leia’s cheeks and fingers tingled.

The boy jumped as the door shut, eyeing her hovering father warily.

Leia rolled her eyes. “C’mon, let’s -”

“Leia,” her mother cut in firmly. “You can show him your droid after we get him taken care of.”

“And he answers some questions,” Anakin growled.

It looked like Padmé wanted to roll her eyes herself, smiling gently at the nervous child behind Leia. “Come, you two. Lets get you cleaned up.”

Leia trotted dutifully after her mother, pulling the boy with her, his head swiveling around, mouth agape as he took in the wide, open halls, the art, the plants, the furniture.

“It’s huge,” he gasped.

“You don’t know the half of it,” Leia confided with a smile. “I’ll give you a tour later.”

“Leia,” her father warned behind her, but she ignored him, following her mom as she turned into Leia’s room.

The boy in her grip gasped again, his eyes sparking in wonder and shock.

“This is my room,” Leia announced proudly.

“And it’s a mess,” her mother half-teased, half-scolded, laying some folded clothes on Leia’s twin-sized bed.

She had two beds in her room. She’d never questioned it before, and now it was another bitter reminder of what they’d lost.

Leia shook it away as her mom knelt down in front of them, addressing the boy. “How about you wash up in the shower? You can borrow some of Leia’s clothes until we get yours cleaned up, and then we can take care of your wounds okay?”

The boy hugged his arms to his chest, a faint blush in his cheeks. “Shower?”

Leia’s eyes widened in shock, but her mom responded with grace, “I’ll show you. Leia go to the guest room and get changed.”

“But mom -”

“Now, baby,” and Leia acquiesced at the rare tone of voice that Leia knew better than to cross.

Sulking, Leia grabbed some clothes, making to stomp angrily off, but paused when she heard a tiny whimper.

She turned, meeting the boy’s wide eyes, panic prominent on his face.

“I’ll be right back,” Leia swore. “You’ll be fine.”

Blue eyes searched her face for a long moment before he nodded, obviously still anxious, and allowed Padmé to lead him to the fresher.

A final threat was in order. Leia came to a stop in front her father, planting her hands on her hips. “He is my friend and he needs our help. If I come back and he’s gone, or upset, I will never forgive you. And I’ll make sure you have sand in your boots for the rest of your life. Got it?” she pointed at him.

Her father’s jaw twitched, his expression mutinous. But she could out stubborn him any day.

Seeming to realize it too, Anakin hefted a gusty sigh to match the sound of the snowy wind outside.

“Fine.” His lips twitched up in fond smile. “Go get yourself washed up and in something warm.”

Leia beamed at him, dashing to the guest room across the hall, not even mad she’d been kicked out of her own room, haphazardly shedding her clothes, grimacing as she peeled the wet garments away and tossing them into the laundry bin, speedily drying herself off and pulling on her new clothes, reveling in the warmth and softness. Placing her shoes by the door, she dashed back out towards her room, where her mother and father were quietly but intensely conversing outside her door.

“Where is he?”

They both stopped abruptly, jerking around to look at her. “Still washing up, dear. Did your friend tell you anything about how he got here?” her mother asked.

Leia shook her head. “Not really. He can stay, can’t he? It’s Life Day!”

Padmé placed a gentle hand against Leia’s cheek. “Of course. If that’s what he wants.”

Anakin huffed, but Leia beamed.

“I commed Kix, he should be here tomorrow. Obi-Wan too. Because of the storm, and the holidays, everyone is a bit...delayed.”

“Okay. Do you think we can get my friend a gift? I don’t want him to feel left out.”

“I’m sure we can scrounge something up,” her mother assured her.

“Padmé,” her father’s argument was cut off before it could begin when the door to the fresher opened and Luke peeked out, his hair even blonder and fluffier with the washing and drying, his skin pink with the warmth of the water, the soft, white clothes loose on his small frame.

Padmé straightened with a smile.

“Better?”

The boy nodded, adding in wonderment, “I’ve never taken a shower with real water before! I’ve always just used a sonic.”

Her mother’s smile faltered just a little. “Did you like it?”

The boy nodded wildly, hair flopping everywhere. “Yeah!” He then seemed to catch himself, averting his gaze and continuing in a much more subdued tone. “I mean, yes. Thank you. And I put my clothes and towel in the bin.”

“Perfect,” her mother confirmed. “Come sit here on the bed.”

Tentatively, the boy obeyed, almost gingerly climbing up onto the bed next to Leia’s Padmé had indicated. Leia scurried into her room, scrambling up after him so she could sit next to him.

“Now, I’m no medic,” her mother explained, pulling a medkit from the bedside drawer, “But I did raise Leia, so I have a bit of experience.”

The boy tensed and paled next to Leia, subconsciously gripping her hand. Leia squeezed back. “It’s okay,” she whispered. “It’s a little cold, and stings a bit but then it feels better.”

Padmé pulled a stool out from under the bed and sat in front of them. “She’s right. And we really should see to some of these injuries, they could get infected. Alright?”

The boy watched her with that intense blue gaze of his, before nodding. Padmé smiled brightly at him in return.

“Let’s start with your wrists. Those welts look nasty. Do they hurt?”

Leia could feel him trembling.

“A little,” he whispered.

“I’ll bet,” her mother concurred, opening a pot of Bacta. “How’d you get them?”

Panic overtook the boy’s face, clear as day.

“You don’t have to tell me. It’s okay, I’m sorry,” Padmé rushed to reassure him.

He whimpered a bit, biting his lip, no doubt aggravating where it was cut.

“It’s okay,” Leia repeated.

The boy took one breath, and then another, and nodded. “Okay,” he whispered shakily.

And so her mother went about carefully wrapping and dressing the boy’s wounds, explaining everything as she went, distracting him in between with stories about Leia’s less successful exploits that had ended with her in the exact same position.

“Hey!” Leia protested at the latest tale that drew a wet giggle from the boy.

Truly she didn’t mind, especially if it cheered him up. But they couldn’t know that, it was the principle of the matter.

“And she didn’t...didn’t get in trouble?” the boy asked hesitantly.

Padmé paused from where she was gently dabbing at an angry bruise on Luke’s cheek, above the welts on either side of his mouth.

“She certainly did,” Anakin cut in. “No sweets or games and an early bedtime for a month. No friends either.”

“Ugh,” Leia groaned at the reminder. “It wasn’t fair.”

From over her mother’s shoulder, her father arched an eyebrow.

“There’s no justice in this world,” she grumbled.

The boy’s hand, now wrapped around the wrist with a bandage, tightened around her’s and he turned to look at her. “But you were okay? That was...you weren’t…?”

“We didn’t hurt her,” her father said, soft but firm, drawing the boy’s attention back to him and away from Leia’s shocked face. “We never would.”

The boy searched his face in way Leia had quickly come to realize was a search for truth, and nodded, his jaw clenching almost in challenge. “Good.”

Anakin held his gaze a minute before snorting and looking away with a rueful shake of his head.

“They wouldn’t you know,” Leia confirmed softly when the boy turned back to her. “And they won’t hurt you either.”

“I don’t understand,” he whispered. He looked around the room. “Why are you helping me? What do you want?”

“Hold still for just one more moment,” Padmé instructed, dabbing a bit more Bacta on his cheek. “You’ll be right as rain in no time?”

“’Right as rain’”? The boy asked quizzically.

Padmé chuckled. “It means ‘good as new’.”

“Oh,” the boy frowned, mouthing the saying under his breath.

“Are you hurt anywhere else?”

The boy shook his head furiously, not fooling anyone.

“Okay. A family friend of ours is a doctor. He’ll check you out tomorrow to make sure you’re perfectly healthy, alright?”

“I’m fine -”

“I’m afraid it’s not up for negotiation,” Leia’s mother corrected in a tone that Leia knew brooked no arguments. “I will not have you walking around injured when we can help.”

The boy seemed to wilt, realizing he’d have no luck arguing.

“Now,” Padmé continued, “We’re getting you both some food.”

Suddenly starving, Leia pulled the boy from the bed, tugging him towards the kitchen, calling, “Meet ya in the kitchen!”

“Be careful with him Leia,” her mom responded.

The boy looked stunned at the consideration.

Leia’s determination to show him the best Life Day ever only intensified.

She led him into their wide open living area where the kitchen was attached, the boy freezing at the sight of their lit up and decorated tree in the corner next to the wide windows, presents in bright wrapping paper tucked underneath.

“Woah. It’s beautiful,” he exclaimed softly.

“It’s a Life Day tree. You get one, and you decorate it, to commemorate the beauty and freedom off all gentlebeings in the galaxy. The presents you give to your loved ones to show how much they mean to you. How much they matter in your life.”

The boy stared, the lights shining in his glistening eyes. Outside, the wind howled, the snow coming down thick now.

“Freedom?” he whispered, almost to himself.

Leia opened her mouth to respond, unsure of what she’d say, when her mom swept in, shadowed closely by her father.

“Take your seats, you two.”

Hungry, Leia tugged Luke along, drawing a startled noise from him. She guided him to a seat at a table – the seat that had always been empty, that was meant to be filled – and then took a seat herself next to him.

The boy looked like he had no idea what to do, with his body, with his hands.

Time to put him at ease. “How old are you?” Leia piped up.

“Umm. I don’t know,” the boy answered.

Feeling the tension from her parents, Leia rushed to salvage the situation with a cheery, “I bet you’re my age! I’m eight standard.”

The boy wove his fingers together in his lap, twisting them anxiously.

“What’s your favorite food?”

“Don’t know,” the boy responded desolately, fidgeting even more.

“Hmm. Okay. What’s your favorite color?”

At that, the boy paused, cocking his head to the side in thought. “I like green. Like the bright kind, of trees and grass. It reminds me of life. And blue, like open skies, or white and yellow, like the sun and stars. What about you?”

“Oh, I like a purple, and red. But I like silver too, and black.”

Two bowls of steaming soup were placed in front of them, followed by two glasses of water and two mugs, a plate of bread in between, utensils placed.

“Slowly, alright?” Padmé directed towards the boy. “Eat as much as you can, but take your time. This is a simple broth that you can dip the bread in, this is water, and this is hot chocolate.”

Leia brightened, sitting up in her chair. “It’s so good! You better save it for last!”

Taken aback, the boy nodded, clumsily gripping the spoon as her parents took their seats across from them. Leia ignored the flash of sadness in her mother’s eyes, and the tightening of her fathers jaw, sipping at her soup. It was warm, soothing, after being out in the cold, mushrooms and tubers and greens lightly spiced.

Next to her, the boy took a sip and his whole face lit up and then scrunched, like he didn’t know what to do. Then he took another spoonful, and another, only stopping at her mother’s gentle, “Slowly. And drink some water.”

The boy obeyed, gulping at his glass until another look from Padmé had him slowing down.

“Try the bread in the soup,” Anakin suggested, and the boy cautiously tore off a piece, watching the man the whole time. He dipped it in the soup and brought it up to his mouth, nibbling at the bread before his eyes widened happily and he shoved it into his mouth.

“Careful,” Padmé chided, but there was amusement in her voice.

The windows behind them rattled.

“It’s really coming down at there,” her mother continued. “It’s a good thing you came inside.”

“Thank you. For everything,” the boy murmured. “You didn’t have to.”

“Nonsense,” her mom waved her hand. “But dear, do you have parents? Anyone looking for you?”

Her friend tensed next to Leia, and he shook his head.

“Then Leia is right. You should spend Life Day with us,” Padmé stated firmly, and Leia beamed at her.

“Oh, I – I probably shouldn’t -”

“Padmé we still don’t know who this boy is or how he got in -”

“It’s settled. The weather is too bad to be out and traveling now anyway. We can figure everything else out later. Try the hot chocolate dear.”

Leia smirked at the flabbergasted look on both her father and the boy’s faces.

Slowly, Luke brought the mug up to his lips and sipped. Within an instant, a bright, excited light shone on his face, and he took another sip, his upper lip coated with whipped cream. “This is amazing! I’ve never tasted anything like it! Thank you!”

And then he took another sip, unaware of the completely besotted look on Padmé's face. “You can have some more tomorrow.”

The boy looked up, hope clear in his eyes.

Suddenly Anakin stood up, his chair scraping at the abruptness of his movement, and he disappeared down the opposite hallway they’d come from. Where his workshop and training room was.

Leia sighed.

“Don’t mind him. He gets grumpy this time of year,” her mother said.

The boy’s face fell, and Leia could tell he didn’t quite believe her. She searched her mind for something to say to cheer him up, to get that smile back on her face.

“Finish your hot chocolate. Then we’re going to bed.”

Leia gaped. “But mom! I haven’t showed him my droid yet!”

“You can show him tomorrow,” Padmé responded easily. “He needs rest. You both do.”

“I...I can stay?”

The boy’s question was quiet and full of doubt and hope.

Leia’s mother shot him a warm grin. “Of course. We’re not going to send you out in the cold. You can stay as long as you need.”

“See?” Leia prodded at the boy’s disbelieving look. “I told you.”

“Leia, don’t gloat,” her mother teased.

“But – but -”

“He can stay in my room, right mom?” Leia cut into the boy’s shocked protests.

“If that’s alright with him, yes,” Padmé hummed.

She pivoted around in her chair to the boy.

“Wanna stay with me? I have stars on my ceiling, and stuffed animals, and I don’t snore like daddy does, promise!”

“Stars on your ceiling?” the boy questioned with a cock of his head.

“It’s paint that glows in the dark,” Padmé answered, taking their empty dishes.

“I don’t know if I snore,” the boy confessed, downcast.

“I’m sure you don’t,” Leia assured him lightly.

“But what if I do?”

“Then I’ll be used to it, because Daddy does it all the time.”

The boy bit his lip.

“Alright children, come on. Let’s get ready for bed.”

“Awww,” Leia whined. “It’s not even that late.”

“Go on,” Padmé reiterated, gesturing down the hall.

With a sigh, Leia slid out of her chair, taking the boy’s hand and pulling him along once again, down the path back to her room.

She walked him through the whole process – well, not the whole process, she figured he shouldn’t wash his face with the Bacta still doing it’s work – but in brushing his teeth (she had a spare, because her room was filled with doubles).

Just as Leia was tucking her nervous friend into bed, placing a stuffed bantha firmly in his arms, her mother arrived, asking if they’d washed up, placing small glasses of water on the bedside table between the two beds.

“You know were to find me if you need anything. Go to sleep, Leia,” she chided, fond, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

She then turned to the boy, curled up, eyes wide and anxious, clutching the stuffed animal Leia had given him like a lifeline.

“If you need anything, ask,” her mother murmured, tucking the blankets more securely around him.

The boy merely stared up at her at her parting, “Get some rest,” turning off the lights and the door sliding shut.

Leia turned on her side toward her friend, waiting for it…

“Oh,” he gasped.

“Cool, yeah?” Leia smiled.

“Wow,” he murmured, staring up at the glowing stars and planets of all sizes painted on Leia’s ceiling and walls.

“My dad and aunts and uncles painted it for me,” Leia told him.

“It’s beautiful,” the boy said.

Leia preened at the compliment.

Outside, the wind whistled.

Steeling herself, Leia posed, “You really don’t know anything about your parents?”

Even if she couldn’t really see him, she could practically feel him tense.

“No,” he whispered.

“Do you ever think about them?” Leia asked softly. “Who they must be?”

A long silence settled over them, and Leia thought he wouldn’t answer.

“Yeah. I wonder if they – if they loved me -” and his voice broke and he started sobbing.

Without hesitation, Leia slid out of her warm covers and clambered onto the bed next to her, wrapping her arms around the boy.

He seemed to try to compose himself, to hold everything back, but Leia patted his head and he broke down, wet tears staining her neck and the front of her pajamas.

“Shh,” she hushed. “Of course they did. If they didn’t they’d be morons, and you aren’t a moron so I doubt your parents were.”

The boy gasped in between sobs. “But then – they’re dead right? Or else….why haven’t they come for me?”

“Maybe they don’t know where you are,” Leia replied, careful to keep her voice quiet. “Maybe they think you’re dead.”

Her friend quietly wept at the thought.

“I still imagine they’ll come for me,” he admitted with a note of shame. “That they’ll find me and love me and save me.”

“Save you from what?” Leia prodded.

The boy curled up even tighter, tears leaking past closed eyes.

“I had a twin brother, you know,” Leia offered, not sure why.

Swiping at his eyes, the boy squeaked, “Had?”

“Yeah. He went missing. Well. It’s worse than that. He was kidnapped when we were babies. We don’t know what happened to him. I still worry – well. It’s hard to forget. Two beds. Two toothbrushes. Two seats at the table. And he’s just not there. Every Life Day, it’s like we’re all trying to pretend everything is okay and it isn’t.”

To her shock, Leia found tears stinging her own eyes. She blinked, swiping roughly at her face.

“I’m sorry,” the boy offered, so sincere that it absolutely broke something in Leia and now she was sobbing, and he holding her close with murmured assurances and strokes to her hair and back that were unpracticed but appreciated.

“His name was Luke,” Leia told him.

“Luke,” the boy whispered, testing it out.

“Here I am crying on you when you’re the one that’s had it so rough,” she joked wetly.

“Losing someone and never knowing what happened to them is never easy,” the boy murmured back, kind and understanding. “That’s rough too.”

“Yeah,” Leia sighed, gathering herself. “I guess you just….with you here, it’s hard not to think what it would have been like.”

The boy tensed and Leia cursed herself.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered.

“It’s not your fault,” Leia quickly denied. “I wish you were him. I bet you’d be a great brother.”

Leia felt successful when that drew a laugh out of him, no matter how small.

“You’d be a great sister.” His voice was heavy with exhaustion, and soon his breaths evened out.

“Knew you wouldn’t snore,” Leia muttered, her own eyes fluttering shut.

When Leia woke, the boy was curled against her, shaking and whimpering. Early morning light shone through the windows, large snowflakes darting and swirling outside the glass.

“It’s okay,” she hushed, pressing a kiss into his hair like her mother did when she had bad dreams. When he still didn’t calm, Leia started humming a lullaby her father sung to her when she couldn’t sleep, petting his hair and snuggling him close.

Eventually, his whimpers tapered off into soft breaths, easing back into sleep.

Leia, though, was wide awake.

A thought had settled in her brain as she slept, and she couldn’t shake it.

What if...what if the boy was Luke?

They could be the same age. He didn’t know his name, or who his parents were. It was clear he’d been held captive, sheltered, hidden from the galaxy.

What if?

And even if he wasn’t, they couldn’t just release him into the world with nowhere to go. He could stay, he could live with them, they could protect him!

She pulled him closer, tucking her chin on his head.

She drifted back into a light doze, only to be woken an indeterminate amount of time later by a soft knock on her door.

Rubbing at her eyes, and careful not to disturb the boy, she carefully extracted herself, wincing as her feet hit the cold floor. This was turning out to be a cold Life Day indeed.

Grumpy, she opened the door, to find her mother at the door. “Morning, sweetness. Want some breakfast?”

Leia glanced back over to her friend, curled up under the covers around the stuffed animal she’d given him.

“What about my friend?” she asked quietly.

Padmé glanced at the boy, and then back to Leia. “Let’s let him rest a little bit longer, yeah? I think he needs it.”

As much as it annoyed Leia, she agreed.

“C’mon. We’ll get him some food later.”

With a curt nod of agreement, she followed her mother out in the hallway and to the kitchen, where her father was sitting at the table sipping some caf. Catching sight of her, he stood, spooning some hot, spiced grains in a bowl and putting it in front of her, complete with a glass of juice and a small cup of warm tea.

“Thanks,” she grinned, sipping first at her tea, relishing the warmth, and his returning smile, even if it was strained.

They all started digging into their meals and sipping their drinks in silence, wind whipping outside. In the corner, Artoo was charging, and Threepio was tottering and muttering about.

“Kix will be here, today, to make sure your friend is healthy,” Padmé informed her.

“But Leia, he isn’t a pet. You can’t get too attached to him -”

“What if he’s Luke?” Leia interrupted her father, the words spilling from her before she could stop them.

Padmé paled and Anakin blanched.

Undeterred, Leia rushed forward, “Think about it! He’s around my age – I think, anyway – and he doesn’t know his name, his parents. He obviously ran away from some bad people. He could have been kidnapped when he was a baby! He even kind of looks like you, Dad! He does this thing with his eyes when he’s suspicious like -”

“It’s not him, Leia!” her Father snapped, before taking a steadying breath. “Your brother...Luke…is gone. We all need to accept it and move on.”

“What if he’s not?” Leia argued passionately. “What if he’s right down there?” She pointed down the hallway.

“He isn’t!” Her father’s clenched fist banged lightly on the table, her mom’s slender fingers wrapping around it with a beseeching look. He took a deep breath and some of the tension faded.

Some.

“Is that why you wanted to take him in? You thought he might be your brother?” Padmé asked, worry in her brown eyes.

“No,” Leia refuted, and it was the truth. “I...thought I felt something. You know, in the Force. And then I saw him, and he was so scared, and cold, and hurt. He didn’t know what Life Day was! And I just...” to her embarrassment, her eyes burned with tears. “I thought...I wonder what happened to Luke. We don’t talk about it, but I know we all do. And I wondered if he was cold and scared and hurt. If he’d ever gotten to celebrate Life Day. So I...I wanted to help him. Because, Luke or not, it’s the right thing to do.”

“Oh, sweetheart,” Padmé gripped her hand, tears in her eyes.

“I wished for him for Life Day, and there he was.”

“Honey...”

“Can’t we just…?” Leia broke off, sniffling.

Her father sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Alright,” he finally acquiesced. “He can stay until we figure something out. But we are not keeping him, understand?”

Bet on it, Leia thought. Her father’s eyes narrowed like he could hear the thought.

A quiet sound broke into their conversation. Leia jerked around in her chair so quickly her neck cricked.

The boy hovered at the entrance of the hallway, the stuffed bantha still in his arms.

“You’re awake,” her mother called bright and warm. “Come sit. I’ll get you some food. How are you feeling?”

Hesitantly, the boy trotted into the kitchen area, his eyes roving back and forth as he took in his surroundings, warily taking the seat next to Leia.

“Fine, thanks,” he murmured, scrubbing at his eyes.

“Did you sleep okay?” her mother asked, setting a small bowl of grains topped with slices of fruit in front of him, then a glass of juice and water.

He stared at the food as if he couldn’t comprehend it. He blinked, and blinked again. When he glanced up, the sheen of tears in his big eyes was obvious.

“It’s for you,” Padmé assured him, her own eyes gleaming. “Eat up. But slowly.”

The spoon shook in the boy’s hand as he raised it to his mouth, his eyes closing in delight at the (relatively simple, in Leia’s mind) porridge.

“It’s so good!” he complimented genuinely. “Thank you so much!”

“Of course, dear. As for my last question?”

“Huh? Oh! Yes, sorry. I slept well. Thank you, miss. I was so warm!”

“That’s wonderful, darling.”

The boy blushed at the endearment, and Leia giggled, giggling harder when he tossed her a very ineffective glare.

“And your injuries? Healing up?”

Leia reveled on being on the outside as her mom mother-henned someone other than her for once.

“Oh. Yes, much better, thanks.”

“Good. But we’re still getting you checked out by a professional today.”

Fear lit up the boy’s blue eyes. “But I’m fine.”

“You most certainly are not,” she turned her whole attention to the boy, her gaze soft. “He’s a family friend. We trust him. He will not hurt you.”

“But if he -”

“If he what?” her Father pressed, leaning in close to the boy, who leaned correspondingly back, paling drastically.

“N-nothing,” he stammered. “Just...I shouldn’t take up so much of your time and re-sources. I should go.”

“No,” Leia disagreed. “The weather is bad, you’d freeze in the snow. Besides, I haven’t shown you my droid yet, and you haven’t met Threepio or Artoo. Or Uncle Obi. And it’s Life Day! You have to stay.”

She took a sip of tea, sure the argument was settled.

“I saw...you had model ships, in your room. I like ships too,” the boy admitted shyly.

“All the more reason to stay,” Leia grinned at him.

“Leia’s right. No arguments dear. Go play, we’ll come fetch you when we’re ready for you.”

“Don’t get into any trouble!” Anakin called after them as Leia pulled the boy back to her room, debating on what to show him first.

Over the next few hours, awe and amazement painted the boy’s face as he took in Leia’s toys. She preened at how he practically radiated joy at meeting her droid Lola, and delighted in answering his questions. He was curious and inquisitive, eager and earnest.

Given that a lot of the kids she hung out with were invested in a political career, it was refreshing.

She also got to see him blossom. He went from shy and scared to excited and playful, laughing and joking and giggling. He was creative, imaginative and kind, and a joy to play with.

Something in Leia seemed to ease the more time she spent with him, a weight lifted, a rudder righted, a piece finally put into place.

A soft knock on the door frame interrupted their play, the boy scooting closer to her, his spine straightening.

Her father was propped in the doorway, lips quirked. “Time for lunch kids.”

“Awww,” Leia whined.

“Hop to it,” he said with a jerk to his head. “You can play more later.”

“More...food?” the boy asked in surprise.

“Yep. More food. Now up you get.”

Lunch consisted of simple but tasty sandwiches and some more sliced fruit. Leia couldn’t say for certain, but she suspected the meals were designed to be gentle on the boy’s stomach. Out of the corner of her eye, she’d occasionally catch the boy reacting to an ingredient in a way that clearly indicated he’d never had it before. He seemed to especially enjoy the fruit.

Her father suddenly straightened just before someone knocked at the front door and went to answer, drawing Leia out of her observations.

From the foyer, Leia could catch snatches of a conversation, though she was more focused on how the boy had hunched up next to her, his eyes darting around.

Leia grasped his fingers, squeezing them reassuringly.

The boy’s grip tightened, his breath coming in pants, as her father returned with Kix, medical bag in hand.

The boy practically pressed into Leia at the sight of it, fear saturating the air.

Luckily, while Kix could be gruff, he was pretty good at reading a room, and could be gentle when the situation called for it.

“Hello, cadet. I’m Medical Officer Kix. I’ve here to get you fixed up, make sure you’re healthy. Sound good?”

Something about the no-nonsense tone seemed to soothe the boy, or at least was familiar enough to him that he issued a quick, “Yes, sir.”

If the response in a child’s voice bothered him, Kix didn’t let it show.

“Let’s move to the couch. I’ll run my tests there.”

The boy slid from his chair with a polite thank you to Padmé and Anakin for the food, and a quickly dismissed offer to do the dishes, an offer that was at least a little bit about stalling. He glanced at Leia with an unknowingly pleading look that Leia immediately obliged, taking his hand and pulling him to the couch, settling down next to him.

The clone’s eyes roved over the young boy’s injuries as he pulled a scanner from his bag. “I’m going to need you to hold still while I scan you, alright? It won’t hurt.”

After a sharp jerk of his chin, Kix initiated the scan, moving the device up and down to get a full read.

Anakin and Padmé took the seats in the loveseat adjacent to them, holding each other as they watched Kix work.

“Hmm,” Kix grunted, staring at the results. “Malnutrition, dehydration. Underweight. Lacerations, bruising, nothing serious. Several broken bones that healed poorly in his history, scarring. Electrical damage.”

The boy paled, looking down with a swallow. Across from them, Anakin tensed, a stormy look on his face.

He then proceeded to check the bandages around his wrists, and reapplied Bacta to his bruises and cuts, informing the boy at every step.

“Are you in pain, lad?”

“No, not really,” the boy muttered, and Leia squeezed his hand again.

Kix hummed again. “I’m going to run a quick blood test now, to see if you’re missing any vaccines, or anything else is wrong. Is that alright?”

The boy looked surprised he was being asked, and glanced first at Padmé, then at Anakin, then at Leia, who gave him a quick nod. “It only hurts a little.”

“O-okay,” the boy nodded, focusing resolutely on Kix and holding out his hand when asked.

Kix took the small hand in his, taking a quick prick of blood and feeding the sample into the reader and gently wrapping the tiny finger in a band-aid.

“Good job, kid,” he murmured, and the boy gave him a tiny watery smile.

He turned a bit on the stool he was sitting on, so he could address them all. “This machine is a bit old, so the results probably won’t be ready for a day or so. In the meantime, I can send you a diet and medical plan to speed up his healing.”

“Surely you can stay Kix, after coming all this way just before Life Day in this weather,” Padmé implored. “It’s not letting up anytime soon.”

“It is no trouble. I am staying in a villa nearby with a few of my brothers, in preparation for our Life Day celebrations. A brisk jaunt, to be sure, but not far. I will comm as soon as I have the results. And Obi-Wan should be here soon, yes?”

“Yes,” her father answered. “Let me walk you out.”

And their voices drifted away from them, but Leia could tell they were having an intense conversation.

“Alright, children. Nap time!”

“Awwwww,” Leia whined at Padme’s announcement, but she only laughed, not sympathizing with Leia’s plight.

“What’s nap time?” the boy asked around a yawn.

With a fond smile, her mother took the boy’s hand. “Come. Let’s show you the wonder of nap time, dear.”

Leia groaned, explaining to the boy how unjust nap time was, but once she was warm and safe in her bed, her friend breathing softly in the bed next to her, she couldn’t find it in herself to be annoyed.

It was the day before Life Day, which had it’s own traditions. Sweet cakes with syrup, spiced cookies and blue milk, games, holos, music and Leia’s favorite – the opening of one gift.

Throughout the whole day, the boy had participated, in awe of being asked at all, beaming, cuddling up in blankets – he was very cold-natured, which made the state Leia had found him in all the more unacceptable - laughing, looking for all the galaxy like he belonged. Shyly taking part in things Leia took for granted as if they were the most precious things in the world.

Even her father seemed to be thawing under the onslaught of his brightness, especially after the boy and Artoo bonded, and Artoo became extremely protective of him.

Not that the man would ever admit it, even as he lit up at a question the boy posed about ships, the boy nodding dutifully at the explanation and asking intelligent follow-up questions.

It was finally time. The snow had let up a bit, but a look out the window revealed a blanket of white in the late afternoon light.

Padmé handed Leia a gift, while Anakin handed one to the boy, who stared up at him in shock.

“For...me?”

“Yep, for you, kid.”

Leia ripped open the paper wrapping her gift, revealing a model of a Corellian Freighter based on a ship she’d seen when they were visiting their relatives on Tatooine. She’d immediately been enamored with how it felt barely put together, but sturdy and loved all the same.

“Cool!” she gasped. “I love it! Thank you!”

She beamed over to the boy, only to find he was just holding his wrapped gift to his chest.

“Are you gonna open it?”

“I just...I want...I can’t believe this is happening and I want to appreciate it, you know? I’m not sure what I’ll do when it ends.”

Tears started spilling down his face.

Leia surged forward on her knees, gently wiping his cheeks.

“Open it,” Anakin cajoled softly. “It’s for you.”

The boy stared at her father for a moment, lips trembling.

“I can’t repay you.”

“You are a child. You are not expected to. And that’s not what Life Day is about. Open it,” her Father instructed warmly.

“Go on,” Padmé encouraged.

“But I thought...the gift-giving was for friends and loved ones. That’s what Leia said,” the boy whispered

“Open it,” her father repeated, firm but soft.

With shaking fingers, the boy carefully unwrapped the gift, preserving the paper. They all watched him, patiently, as the wrapping gave way to a model X-wing.

“New model. I’ve never flown one, but a lot of young folks I know are big on them,” Anakin shrugged. “Thought you might like it, since you like ships and all.”

“I...I love it. Oh, thank you! For me?!”

He was absolutely glowing.

“For you,” her Father reassured the boy with a fond quirk of the lips.

“Can we play?” the boy asked, buzzing with excitement.

“Yes, you can play,” Padmé smiled.

Leia suspected she’d never seen a happier smile than the one that donned the boy’s face, and she smiled widely in response.

“Okay, so, the enemy is closing in, and the only way to destroy their ultimate weapon is by firing one torpedo...” Leia started describing, the boy bouncing off her with his own suggestions, the both of them swooping around with their ships, making the appropriate sounds, laughing, building the story when -

There’s a knock at the door.

A quick glance at her Father’s tightening shoulder blades tells her it is not someone they know – while the grounds are warded, the front door is accessible to those not keyed in to Anakin’s meticulously constructed Force barrier.

Her mother shares a look with him, her eyes swinging back to Leia and the boy, who is still playing quietly.

Anakin opens the door, revealing a humanoid woman and man, in thick black coats and gloves.

“Hello! I do so apologize for bothering you on Life Day Eve, but we are looking for our son. He has gone missing, and we’ve heard that he may have come here, to escape from the cold,” the woman explained, worry projected loud and clear in her voice.

Besides Leia, the boy tensed, his face going deadly pale.

Behind his back, Leia’s dad gestured with his fingers. Recognizing the signal as ‘get away, get safe till we tell you it’s okay’, Leia grabbed the boy’s hand, tugging him down the hallway as she heard her mother say, “Oh, that’s awful.”

Leia was just about to pull the two of them in her room when the boy pulled free of her grasp. “I can’t let you all get hurt because of me, after everything you’ve done.”

“No, we can protect you!” Leia hissed, making a frantic grab for him as he darted toward the side door they’d first entered through.

Just then, her Father’s shout distracted her, just enough for the boy to slip outside. “Leia, RUN!”

Breath quickening, Leia darted out the door the boy had, only to come up short at the sight of him cowering in front of a tall, broad man with dark hair and fiery yellow eyes baring down on her friend, who looked so tiny in comparison.

“NO!” she shrieked. “You can’t hurt him anymore, I won’t let you!”

“Ohh, little lamb. Have you made a friend?” he directed condescendingly towards the boy.

“Stay away from her,” the boy gritted, spine straightening.

“Gods how I despise your eyes. They are a constant sign of my failure. Perhaps I shall cut them out. Will you be so disobedient then?” the man snarled, and the boy barely suppressed a flinch, a tiny whine in his throat. But he didn’t back down.

“So much time I’ve put into you and what a waste,” the man spat. “Ungrateful, useless stupid wretch.”

“Shut up!” Leia snapped, and the boy looked at her in shock and horror. “You have no right to talk to him like that!”

“I have every right,” the man snapped, closing his fist above him, and Leia choked, her airway cut off.

“No!” Luke screamed, raising his hand and sending the man careening back.

The Force. The boy could use the Force Leia realized in a daze, coughing as she struggled to catch her breath, a task made even more difficult in the cold.

“That’s it,” the man mocked, righting himself, snow dusting off his clothes. “You do have power. You just need the right...motivation.”

“No! I’ll go with you,” the boy cried, tears pouring down his cheeks, resignation shining in his eyes.

“No you won’t,” Leia snapped, still a bit woozy from the air deprivation, but her eyes snagged on the silver handle she knew to be a lightsaber.

She reached out with her own Force to grab it but was thrown back for her trouble.

“Nice try,” the man sneered over the boy’s cry of her name. “Now come, little lamb. I have to admit, I’m impressed, this is your best escape attempt yet. I bet it was fun playing pretend for a little bit, that anyone could ever want you, ever love you. But it’s over. We raised you. You are coming with me, back where you belong.”

The man easily tossed the struggling boy over his shoulder, dodging his more furious kicks.

“Easy, easy now, little lamb, it doesn’t have to be so hard. You’re only making this worse on yourself. I don’t want to hurt you, you know. You always make things so difficult, don’t you?”

Leia pushed herself up again, wiping the blood away from her lip.

“Put him down,” Leia commanded.

The man turned to smirk infuriatingly at her. “Would you like to come too, Princess?”

Leia bristled, gasping in shock when she was sharply jerked towards the man with the Force.

The boy screamed, flinging out his own hand to stop the man from drawing Leia completely to him.

“STOP!” her father roared, and Leia staggered back, blinking over towards him.

The blue of his lightsaber glittered in the snow and reflected in furious eyes, her mother right behind him, blaster raised, expression fierce and furious.

“Skywalker. Still as stupid as ever, I see,” the man sneered.

“Seeing as your partners are incapacitated, I think you are the one that perhaps miscalculated when you attacked my home,” her father hissed in his most dangerous voice.

The man snorted. “Only to retrieve what is mine.”

Roughly, he heaved the boy in front of him and maneuvered him around, a thick arm pressed heavily around his neck. Tears streamed down his cheeks. With his free hand, the man ignited his lightsaber, the angry crimson humming to life in the fold air, snowflakes evaporating on contact.

“Now’s your time to prove me wrong, Skywalker. All I want is the boy. Your daughter, your wife, you’ll all be safe. I will leave, and you will never see me again. He’s nothing to you.”

The boy’s eyes slammed shut, more tears pouring down his cheeks.

“No!” Leia shouted.

The man’s yellow gaze quickly darted over to her and away.

“But if you do not see reason, I will kill him. I will see him dead first. And I will hunt down your daughter for the rest of her days.”

Anakin snarled, his grip tightening on his lightsaber audibly.

“It’s okay,” the boy whispered. “It’s okay. Thank you. For everything.”

“You’re not taking him,” her father ground out.

The man heaved a dramatic, mocking sigh, bringing the blade of his lightsaber up to the boy’s chest. He stilled, closing his eyes.

“Still stupid,” the man smirked. “Maybe I’ll kill him and take you daughter instead. Perhaps she’ll actually listen.”

Her mother snorted. “You obviously don’t know Leia. You will be taking neither child.”

“Oh I will. In one way or another.” The boy whimpered as he was held all the more tightly, the lightsaber drawing closer. “I wish you could see your face, you know. When you finally realize.”

Before her father could unleash an undoubtedly shocking slew of curse words, there was a crunch in the snow to the far side.

“Hello there,” came the smooth voice of her Uncle Obi-Wan, the blue of his blade shining

“Kenobi,” the man sneered.

“Rather rude of you, to drop in uninvited on Life Day,” Obi-Wan’s eyes were flicking back and forth between the man and the boy held hostage in his arms as he slowly circled them.

“Didn’t get an invite,” the man hissed. “Besides, I had a wayward package to extract,” he taunted, doing something that made the boy whimper.

“You are not leaving here with that boy,” Obi-Wan swore, his voice a deadly calm Leia rarely heard.

“Yes. I am,” the man growled, tightening his grip.

A lot of things happened very suddenly.

Leia darted forward with a guttural scream, latching on to the man’s arm and biting for all she was worth. He jerked, throwing her aside with a cry and Leia landed heavily in the snow with a wince, the boy’s voice calling her name. Suddenly, he was at her side, helping her up and back, and lightsabers were whirling and slashing, humming and colliding, cutting through the snow and dreary air, a dance and blur and blue and red.

“Are you okay?” the boy asked, concern evident in his voice.

“Are you?” Leia threw back, clutching him close and pulling him back with her. She couldn’t tell if the tremors in their embrace were from him, her, or both.

Suddenly, Padmé slid in front of them, spraying snow into the air, ushering them behind her.

“You’ll never have him! Never!” the man shrieked. “He belongs with us!”

With a visceral cry, Anakin slashed his arm, sending his hand, smoldering, into the snow, the red blade deactivating. “He belongs with us!”

Two blue lightsabers pointed at the man’s throat, his chest heaving.

“We won’t stop coming for him,” he hissed. “And I want you to know, we’re going to hurt him. Just like we’ve already hurt him. Over and over and over!”

A blue stun blast shot from Padme’s blaster and he fell silent, going limp. “Sorry. Couldn’t listen to that poison any longer.”

A long moment of silence passed, everyone catching their breath and coming to terms with what just happened.

Leia suddenly realized warm tears were soaking the fabric above her shoulder.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” the boy sobbed. “I knew it wasn’t safe, I didn’t want to put anyone in danger.”

“You didn’t,” Padmé murmured, pressing her lips gently to blond hair. Leia held him all the tighter.

“Anakin, let’s get them all secured and on a transport to Coruscant. Alright?”

Her father was staring at Leia and the boy huddled in her mother’s arms. Finally, after a loaded moment, he nodded, and they took handcuffs from the man’s belt and placed them on him, where they glowed blue. With the barest of a wince, Obi-Wan gathered the severed hand a lightsaber, and the two men made their way back inside, dragging the man between them.

“I ruined Life Day,” the boy hiccupped.

“No. You didn’t,” Leia’s mother assured him. “Come. Let’s get you both warm.”

And she led them inside. She dried them off with fluffy towels and wrapped them in blankets. Made them wear warm socks. Made them hot chocolate.

By Leia’s side, the boy wept quietly the whole time.

The man had been terrifying. He’d threaten to cut her friend’s eyes out. But he’d stood up to him for Leia, and Leia had stood up to him for her friend.

There was no sign of their attackers in the kitchen, other than a few scorch marks.

It was dark before her father and Uncle Obi-Wan returned, their faces tired. The look shared with her mother promised an adult conversation Leia would not be privy too.

“Everything okay here?” her father asked tightly.

Her mother rested a hand on the boy’s head, stroking his hair gently. “Just a little shaken up, I think.”

“Understandable,” Obi-Wan agreed warmly, focusing on Leia’s friend. “Hello there, young man. My name is Obi-Wan Kenobi.”

“H-hello,” the boy sniffled. “I’m sorry for – for the trouble sir. Thanks for protecting me.”

“Of course, dear one,” Obi-Wan replied, his eyes searching the boy’s face. “Oh, Anakin.”

“What?” her father bit out tersely.

Obi-Wan knelt in front of the boy, swathed in blankets and nestled in Leia’s side, the stuffed bantha and x-wing held carefully in his arms.

“Dearest, you can let go now,” Obi-Wan whispered. “It’s okay. You’re safe.”

Next to her, her friend tensed, squeezing his eyes shut.

“He’s right, you know,” Leia whispered in his ear, stroking his hair. “I saw you use the Force. I know you’re hiding yourself. But it’s okay. You saw that we’ll protect you. That we protect each other.”

“They’ll find me,” the boy sobbed softly. “And they’ll hurt you. I can’t.”

“Let them try,” Leia responded, deadly serious.

“Why did you come here?” Obi-Wan asked, gentle, non-accusing.

“I...I wanted to get away. And I, I finally had a chance. I stowed away on a ship, and, and it brought me here and...and the Force led me here,” the boy explained, eyes wide and fearful and full of tears.

“You shouldn’t have been able to get in. Not the way you did. Just – friends and family,” Anakin’s voice shook.

Padmé shuffled, perching on the couch next to the boy, so that he was sandwiched between her and Leia.

Across from them, the tree sparkled, the star on top bright and pretty.

“Let go, dear one,” Obi-Wan repeated, his voice more kind and gentle than Leia had ever heard it.

Tears continued to pour from the boy’s eyes as he stared at Obi-Wan, assessing the man’s words.

“I’m scared,” he whispered.

“We are all here for you,” he assured the child. “Let go. It’s alright.”

A frantic knock sounded at the door.

Anakin tensed, jaw clenching, before he huffed a breath and stood to open it, snow swirling in as Kix and Uncle Cody strode inside, both wearing worried expressions.

“I must speak with you, immediately,” Kix demanded.

“We’re kinda recovering from a rough day here, if you haven’t heard,” came Anakin’s taut response.

“Trust me, this cannot wait. It is about L- the boy’s results.”

Leia straightened, her heartbeat speeding up.

Her father’s shoulders tensed and then sagged with a tired breath, and he massaged his forehead with a gloved hand.

“It’s him, isn’t it? It’s him.”

“Yes, Anakin. It’s him,” Kix whispered.

“Oh Gods,” her father choked out. “Maker, it’s him.”

“It’s him?” her mother repeated tremulously.

“No illnesses. Some missing vaccines. High midichlorian count. And a 100% paternal and maternal match for Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Naberrie.” For the first time in Leia’s memories, Kix’s eyes were shining with tears. “It’s him. It’s Luke.”

Anakin staggered forward, landing hard on his knees in front of the boy.

“We’ve been looking for you,” he managed brokenly. “We thought – I thought – you were gone.”

“What…?” the boy murmured, swiping at his leaking eyes, sounding so lost and confused.

“Your name is Luke Skywalker. You’re eight years old. You are brave, and strong, and resilient. Kind, and funny and considerate. You are my son, and Padme’s son, and Leia’s twin,” Anakin whispered, tears pouring down his own cheeks.

“And my nephew,” Obi-Wan piped up, Cody and Kix doubling the sentiment.

“And you are loved,” Anakin finished. “You are home.”

“Love?” the boy repeated in quiet shock. “Home?”

“Yes,” her father reiterated. “I’m sorry we didn’t find you sooner. I’m sorry we ever gave up on you in the first place when you were being hurt.”

“Let go, child,” Obi-Wan encouraged kindly. “It’s alright. You’ll see.”

The boy gasped once, twice, closed his eyes and swallowed. He took a steadying breath, his hand finding Leia’s. She squeezed back, projecting all the safety she could.

And slowly and then all at once, a bright, warm light blazed in the Force, like a lone star in a dark night, or a summer’s sun warming your skin after a cool dip in the lake.

A sharp gasp ripped from her father’s chest as Force bonds solidified between them. The missing piece, warming their connection with light.

“Oh,” Obi-wan sighed. “He’s...beautiful, Padmé.”

“My son,” she cried, kissing his hair, tears spilling from her eyes. “Luke.”

“I knew it!” Leia crowed.

Best Life Day ever.

Life Day was hectic, filled with food and gifts and laughter and people. Leia took it upon herself to stick by Luke’s side, introducing him to all their aunts and uncles and friends. All of them were there, especially after they heard Luke had been recovered.

He was spoiled with gifts and tricks and love. Leia would have felt jealous, but mostly, she felt...content.

She’d gotten her wish.

It was the happiest Life Day ever, and she’d never felt more complete.