Disclaimer: Do I really need to say I don't own this?

A/N Well folks, I'm back. Sorry for the long delay, life intruded. And yes, I promised a short epilogue and instead you get this missive, but this is it. Over. Done. But I hope the ending was well worth the wait. Too dopey? Not dopey enough? Please drop a line and give me some feedback. And be on the lookout for other works by yours truly in the near future.

The Bitter Glass

Part Six: Return to Innocence

She should not have come. Leia felt it as soon as the shuttle touched down on the landing pad. A vague sense of unease had been tingling just on the edge of her perception ever since she'd recieved Luke's message, nearly four days ago. And now that premonition was blossoming into full-fledged worry.

"Tell me again why I'm doing this?" she muttered to herself.

Artoo hooted in answer.

Leia stood and went forward to the cockpit. She caught the eye of the pilot. He was a veteran of the Clone Wars, tough and unflappable, but he looked tense and pale now. She nodded to him, trying to give him an assurance that she did not feel. He went to the hatch and unsealed the door, lowering the ramp. Outside, a squadron of stormtroopers had queued up in neat lines. Leia felt a frission of fear shoot down her spine. Memories of Bespin rose to torment her and she pushed them down and squared her shoulders, stepping regally off the shuttle and onto Imperial Centre.

Luke's message had been short, almost terse.

The Emperor is dead. My father killed him. Yes, Leia, my father. He's alive. He's here. Darth Vader has declared a truce. He wishes to discuss terms with you. Please come. I give you my word that you will not be in any danger. Please come, Leia. This is a chance at peace.

Han had been sure it was a trap, as had Mon Mothma and most of the High Command. It had taken her three days to convince them that, if it was an honest offer, it might be the only shot they got at ending the conflict. She begged, fought, pulled rank, and raged until they had all agreed to send her.

Han had been furious.

"Are you crazy?"

Leia sighed. They'd been having the same fight for three days. "You saw Luke's message."

"Yeah, I did see Luke's message, Princess. And in case you've forgotten, he's been a captive of Darth Vader's for days. Who knows what Vader's done to the kid?"

"I haven't forgotten!" Leia shot back. "Not for one second. But-" she hesitated, torn between her desire to explain and her fear that Han would think she was crazy. She almost thought she was herself. How could she tell him that it just felt right?

"I won't let you go!"

"Won't let?" she repeated incredulously. "Won't LET?"

"Yeah, that's right. I. Won't. Let. You. Go."

Leia laughed in his face. "You can't stop me. The High Command has okayed the mission, remember?"

"Then I'm coming with you."

Leia sighed again. "You can't. You and Chewie are wanted. In several systems. I don't want to risk-"

"What about the risk you're taking?"

"Me? I'm not...Luke promised."

"What's his promise really worth? How can he protect you when he can't even protect himself?"

Leia felt her shoulders sag. "Han, I can't just leave him there. I can't. I have to go."

A look flashed across Han's face, but he turned away before she could identify it. "Fine. If you want to go, then go." Han's voice slid into the lazy, smuggler's drawl he knew she loathed. "Tell the kid hi for me."

"Han..." But he refused to turn. Leia stood at the doorway, torn. What had suddenly come over him? It was almost like..like he was jealous of Luke. No, Leia thought, that can't be it. He couldn't possibly think...

"Shut the door on your way out, Your Worship." Han drawled and Leia felt annoyance fill her.

Like this isn't hard enough, she thought. "Fine." Leia said. She turned and walked out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

In retrospect, it seemed incredibly childish. And as the storm troopers parted and revealed Luke's slight figure, Leia felt a stab of regret that she'd left Han without saying goodbye.

Luke strode forward, looking taller. His grin was wide and his arms were strong as he embraced her. Energy seemed to crackle around him like electricity, so much so that his touch sent a little jolt through her. Leia pulled back, looking into Luke's startlingly blue eyes.

"Luke, what's happened? What did Vader do to you? Are you all right?" The words were tumbling out of her mouth, and she could make no effort to stop them.

Luke grinned at her. "I'm fine, Leia. Better than fine. My father's alive!" Wonder tinged his voice as he said this and Leia felt herself drawn into his delight.

"How is that possible? I thought all the Jedi were killed during the Purges? General Kenobi was the only one that I knew that survived..."

"I will explain, but not here. Come on." Luke took her arm and led her into a lift. She followed him through a warren of passages and into the Imperial Palace. Leia recognised some of the corridors they past from her days as senator of Alderaan. It was strange to be in this place, now, and at Darth Vader's request.

At last Luke came to a stop outside a pair of double doors. They swung open to reveal, not the palatial suite that Leia had been expecting, but a modest room, brightly lit, that opened onto a garden pad behind. Luke took off his cloak and flung it casually over a chair, then took her hand and led her outside.

Space was limited on Coruscant, and so the engineers that had designed the Imperial Palace had come up with a way to bring the outdoors into the sky. The garden pad was really a small hydroponics bay, an ingeniously designed plot that gave the illusion of profuse wildlife in a very small space.

Luke led her to a space beside two trees where a bench had been placed, and beside it, a low table the housed a pitcher of water. They sat down and Luke took Leia's hands in both of his.

"Leia, what do you know about your mother? Your real mother?"

Leia hesistated at the strangeness of the question. "Well, not a lot. Just images really, feelings. She died when I was very young."

"Tell me," Luke urged.

"She was...beautiful. But sad. My father, my adopted father, told me she died soon after I was born. But..." she furrowed her brow, trying to put into words things she'd never told anyone before. "...I don't know how, but I remember her." Leia looked up into Luke's face suddenly. "How is that possible?"

"The Force is very stong in you, Leia."

"Oh Luke...that can't be. You have a power I don't understand, and could never have."

"Your wrong. You have that power too. In time you will learn to use it as I have. The Force is very strong in my family, Leia. My father has it, I have it, my sister has it." He met her eyes and held them. "It's you, Leia."

Leia pulled her hand from his. "Luke-"

"There is more. My father-our father-" Leia felt her body tense, knowing what was coming but refusing to believe it. "Leia, it's Vader. He told me. Vader is Anakin Skywalker."

Leia shot up from bench. "No," she said. "That's not possible. He lied to you!"

"Search your feelings, Leia."

"NO!" The glasses on the sideboard began to rattle violently.

"Leia, Leia, calm down." Luke grabbed her by both arms, but her eyes were tight closed and he could feel the Force, coiled inside her, threatening to break free.

Is this what Vader had been trying to do to him at Bespin? Was this oppressive feeling what it felt like to fall to the Dard Side?

Father?

Luke?

I've told Leia.

Yes, I can feel. Anakin's mind voice was wry.

I don't know how to help her.

Let me try.

Father, that might not be- But it was too late. Luke felt his father withdraw from his mind, and then the Force gathered around Leia like a storm about to break. With a crash the glasses on the sideboard shattered.

"Leia!" Luke reached for her but his father's voice in his head stopped him.

No, Luke. She can't control herself. She might hurt you without realizing it.

Luke could feel his father speaking to Leia, low and soothing, though he couldn't make out the words. But it seemed to be working. After a moment the oppressive feeling began to disappate. Luke stepped closer, taking Leia's hands in his.

"Leia." Luke watched her as her body began to tremble. The Force continued to retreat, taking their father's presence with it. "Leia, its all right."

Leia opened her eyes. "No, it's not." she said. She stared into his face, dry-eyed. Her voice sounded hollow. "It will never be all right again."

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Anakin withdrew from his daughter's mind. Daughter! He had barely gotten used to the idea of having a son, and now he had a wife and a daughter too. It seemed surreal...laughable. The Dark Lord becomes a family man, he thought wryly. But not that. Not a Dark Lord. Not a Jedi. Hardly even a man.

He sighed, looking down at the black helmet in his hands.

His son's power had healed him. But nothing could take away the scars, or regrow lost limbs. Still, thanks to his son he could breath without the hated mask over his face. He held it in his hands now, contemplating the dark visage that he has presented to the world for so many years.

Anakin could feel another presence at his door. She had been there a handful of times before, pausing at the threshold and he had stood on the other side, afraid that she would request entry, afraid that she wouldn't. Always before she had stood for a moment and then turned away. But this time he could feel her gathering her courage around her. Her hand darted forward.

The door chime was almost deafening in the tomb-like silence of his rooms.

Anakin sighed again. No use prolonging the inevitable. He sent a tendril of the Force out and the door opened with a hiss of pneumatics. He kept his back to the door as he felt Padme enter and pause, eyes adjusting to the dim light.

"Anakin?" she said softly.

One word only and his heart was trembling. He sighed for a final time. Would it always be this hard?

"Here." Without the vocoder his voice came out a thready baritone. Still, she seemed to draw strength from its familiarity. She moved further into the room. Anakin resisted the urge to draw deeper into the shadows, to use the Force to weave a cloak of darkness that would hide his form from her. That was the coward's way. She deserved this. She deserved answers from him. She deserved some amount of closure, so that she could go on with her life.

He waited until she was a dozen paces away before turning. To her credit her step did not falter. But a breath sucked in past her lips and he saw the dark shadow of pain enter her eyes.

"Oh," she sighed softly, taking in his ruined face. He had become so used to it over the past twenty years that it hardly gave him pause anymore, but now Anakin considered what she must see; pale skin seamed with scars, ropes of tissue connected to seared bits of flesh, eyes sunken and weak under the dome of a hairless head. Anakin closed his eyes, suddenly ashamed. It was his own foolishness that had caused this. His arrogance and pride had urged him to challenge Obi-Wan. His fury had caused him to press on, even when he knew he was beaten. And his rage had bade him live, even when he had no right to do so.

He drew in a long breath, felt his lungs expand with it. He did not deserve that. He did not deserve the blessing of a healing, even an interrupted one. But he would use the breath it gave him to make right some of what had gone wrong so long ago.

"I am sorry Padme. I'm sorry that I suspected you. I'm sorry that I didn't trust you enough to tell you of my fears. I let Palpatine twist my worry for you, and for our child, our childen, into something so Dark." Anakin shook his head. "I didn't want it. Not at first. But I will not lie and say that by the end I was innocent. I killed the younglings in the Temple. I murdered Dooku. It was I that raised a hand against you and nearly killed you. I thought I had killed you...and I-" he struggled to find words, for her, for himself. "I didn't want to go on. But I had no choice. I had my duty. I had made my decisions and I had to go on. And everything was so full of Darkness." Anakin felt her take a step closer. He held himself rigid, breathing deeply, trying to hold his emotions in check. "I didn't think-I didn't dare hope- that there could be any redemption for me. And then Luke..." Another step and Anakin sucked in a breath, letting the words spill out. "Luke, our bright beautiful son...he believed. He believed! And because he did, I did too. Not that I could make it right. I know that I can't. But that I could have some hope of saving you again." He could smell her now, the mixture of loam and lilies that had always intoxicated him. He breathed it in now and felt the scent catch at the back of his throat. "I never wanted to hurt you. If you believe nothing else of me, please believe that. Padme, I-"

She laid a hand on his arm, high on his right where she knew true flesh laid, and stopped the flow of words.

"Hush Anakin. It's over now," she said and with a strength borne of grace she pulled him into her arms. The dark helmet fell from his fingers with a thunk. Anakin sank to his knees and buried his face in her chest and sobbed.

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It was probably one of the weirder moments of his life, Han reflected, standing in the middle of the Imperial Throne room, watching Princess Leia and Darth Vader- Darth Vader- declare the death of the Emperor and the reestablishment of the old Republic.

Leia looked pale and wan in her formal robes, regal as a queen and stiffly polite. Vader looked like Vader always looked, black and grim and scary as all hell.

After the ceremony, Han wended his way to Luke's side.

"Hey there, kid." Luke turned with a grin and pulled Han into a bone-crushing hug. Han felt a smile light his face as he slapped the kid's back. "Easy there, easy, kid. No need to go all soft on me," Han said as he backed off but the grin on his face belied his words. "Some party, huh?"

"I'll say. Want a tour?"

"Sure thing."

He and Chewie had arrived with the bulk of the Rebel command staff two days ago, but he had been assigned to guard duty and hadn't had much of a chance to see any of the Imperial-make that the Republican- palace. Luke made his way through the crowd, responding to the hales of his buddies in Rogue Squadron and shaking hands with General Madine before ducking through a side door and out into the hall.

"You've become a popular person," Han observed without rancor.

"Yeah, well, get kidnapped by the enemy at the same time said enemy decides to switch sides..." Luke made a dismissive gesture at the two guards who stepped out of the shadows of a doorway to follow them. The lead trooper nodded and both retreated back to their doorway, leaving Luke and Han to wander the corridor alone.

"Is it true what they're saying?" Han asked as they passed a magnificent painting of a seascape on some unknown world.

"What?" Luke asked, though the tone in his voice said he knew very well what. He turned down another corridor and seemed to be counting doors.

"That you were the one that convinced Vader to join our side." Luke paused at the fifth door and pressed a hand to the identipad. The door slip open. He stepped aside and motioned Han past him. Han entered the darkened room. Luke paused by the door and the lights sprang up to reveal a huge chamber. The walls were high and the room wide enough across to house the Falcon without difficulty. That was, if they could clear enough space.

The room was jammed full of floatbubbles, delicate blown-glass spheres suspended on a beam of light, each holding a priceless treasure. The bubbles crowded to room, hovering overhead as far as the ceiling, providing only enough space for a person to walk through.

"This was the Emperor's personal collection. That one-" Luke motioned to the nearest bubble, the one that Han had been eyeing with interest, "-is a sliver of heartwood from the primal forest on Kashyyyk. There's enough bounty here to make a man rich a millions times over."

Han stared at the bubbles, imagining the possiblities. Then the kid's words kicked into his brain and he realized that he was being teased. He turned to Luke, only now noticing the laugh that danced in his blue eyes.

"Very funny," Han said sourly. "What happens if I touch one? My hand gets burned off?"

"Something like that," Luke said and the laugh was definately there now. "But there's no law that says you can't drool on them."

"Ha ha, everyone's a comedian. And you didn't answer my question. Did you convince Vader to join our side?"

Luke looked at him, suddenly serious. "It didn't take much convincing," he said neutrally.

Han sighed. Luke had never been good at hiding his feelings but whatever training he'd recieved on Dagobah must have changed that because his face was flat and as expressionless as Vader's mask. "Okay, fine. And what about Leia?"

"What about her?"

Oh, that was just too much. Han rounded on the boy. "You know very well what I mean!" Leia might be able to hide behind her mask of polite pride to everyone else but he had seen the shadows under her eyes. He knew something had happened, something bad. "What did you do? Break her heart? Because of you did, so help me I'll-"

"Han," Luke held up a hand, his lips twisted into a grimace. "It's not, I mean, I never...Han, Leia is my sister."

Well, that certainly changed things.

Han backed up a few steps, almost lurching into one of the bubbles before he stopped. "What? Your sister? How?"

Luke shook his head. "I shouldn't be the one to tell you this."

"Luke please, you know her. She can't..." Han struggled to find words. "If there's something that I can do...I know I'm not good enough for her. But kreth kid, how could I not..." He scrubbed a hand across his face. "If I can help I want to."

Luke stood watching him for long moments and then nodded. "All right," he said.

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Leia's eyes scanned the room. Luke had disapeared somewhere with Han and Vader-Anakin? Father? No,never that! Anakin, her mind settled on a designation- had sequestered himself away with various generals and heads of the old Imperial regime. Their capitulation had come as a shock for many of them. Some had gone into hiding, some had openly rebelled, others had been held by their loyalty to Vader and to Palpatine and had come willingly. Vader-Anakin, she corrected-had already told her which of the old regime could be trusted. The others would have to be dealt with, and soon.

Leia supressed the urge to sigh as she felt a headache coming on. Instead she smiled and greeted the long line of dignitaries and heads of state that had witnessed the historic changeover of power, all the while her eyes were searching, searching.

Fianlly, she lighted on a figure at the back of the room, standing unobstrusively to the side of a large party of Mydaks. Though the figure was swathed head to foot in a dress of ornate creme silk she knew exactly who it was.

"Excuse me," Leia murmurred and made her way across the room and to her mother's side.

They had not really had a chance to talk. Most of the past two days had been spend in endless negotiations with both sides. The moments Leia managed to snatch to herself she spent in her quarters, ignoring Luke's pleas for admittance and her own aching heart. She had steeled herself to meet the man who was her father without fliching and to do her duty. But now, it was over. After today, she could go back to just being Leia.

But who was she now?

Leia Organa, princess to a dead world?

Leia Skywalker, sister to a Jedi knight?

Leia Vader, daughter to a monster?

Could she ever be free of all this horror and just be the girl she was before the Death Star, before Alderaan was blown to peices in front of her?

Leia felt herself begin to tremble. She brushed through the crowd, struggling to get to the woman on the other side of the room.

Leia had always known her mother. Even in childhood, before her father had told her, she'd know. Her dreams had told her the truth, dreams of a beautiful woman with sad eyes that looked upon her face and smiled sadly, pronouncing her name in a soft, clear voice. And when her father had told her that her real mother was dead she'd known it to be a lie, a necessary lie, but a lie nonetheless. Her mother could not be dead. She felt it. She knew. And yet, as she grew older, she forgot...or maybe she just didn't want to remember.

But those warm eyes were on her now and Leia felt something loosen inside of her. "Mother."

"Daughter."

There was a deep, sparkling of joy behind those words and Leia felt a laugh escape her, her first real laugh in what felt like a lifetime. She reached out her hand and grasped her mother's fingers in her own.

"It's almost over." Leia's gesture took in the gathering but the words seemed to mean more. "What will we do?"

Padme's face was radient as she smiled. "We live, daughter," she said softly. "We live."

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