Hola all!! This is my new story, Dark Beauty! I hope you all enjoy!! Please read and review:)

Disclaimer: I don't own any of it except for Laila, George Lucas owns the rest, but ask if you want to use Laila!!

And now for...

CHAPTER 1: QUESTIONS AND SOME ANSWERS

Summary: Luke was on his way to meet Yoda when he's intercepted by a dark beauty, soon he finds himself falling for this mysterious girl, but where do her feelings lie, on the Dark Side, or the Light Side? And for whom will she risk everything?

Dark Beauty

Luke didn't know what to think. This girl had kept him talking for 2 hours. With her charm, grace, and overall humor and warm smile he couldn't bring himself to say he had to leave.

Even though he did have to leave. He had stopped in a remote system by the name of Hoth on his way to find the great Jedi Master Yoda. He had run by a supply shop when he ran to into this…intriguing girl. She looked quite young, even younger than his 19 standard years.

Her hair went a little ways down her shoulders; it was brown with some blond and red highlights that you could only really see when the light hit her just the right way. Her eyes were the prettiest Luke had ever seen; a deep turquoise that oddly reminded him of someone, but he couldn't put his finger on.

"So, would you ever be willing to inform someone of your name, since we've been talking for the past, oh, say, two hours?" he asked leaning over the glass show counter.

She laughed, a laugh Luke had come to love even in the short time he had known her.

"Why, who wants to know?" she said, her turquoise eyes shone.

"Well…say I would want to know, then what would you say?" he said.

"Then I'd have to tell you, no, I can't tell you my name." She said looking down.

Luke stood up in surprise. He hadn't been expecting that answer. He tried to use the Jedi mind trick Ben had taught him when they were on their way to Alderan. No luck, she was much smarter than he gave her credit for.

"Why not?" he asked frustrated.

"Well, I don't really like my name…it's kind of…embarrassing." She muttered.

"Oh, that's it." Luke said smiling, "You don't have to worry," he said forcing her to look up at him, "I won't tell your secret." He said his intense blue eyes laughing.

She heaved a huge sigh. 'Alright, my name is…Laila." Her eyes flew back down, her cheeks turning a bright red.

Luke laughed out loud.

"Hey!" she shot, "It's not that funny!" she crossed her arms, waiting for him to stop.

"I…wasn't…laughing…" Luke tried to say in-between gasps of laughter. At last, he regained his stature.

"I wasn't laughing at your name, I was laughing at the thought that you thought you name was embarrassing." He smiled down at her, "To tell you the truth, I think it's a pretty name. Do you know what it means?"

Luke loved seeing what people's names meant. His name didn't really mean anything interesting, some city on a far away system. But most people he came across, their names meant something cool, normally had to do with their personality.

"My name means…dark beauty." She said quietly.

"Dark beauty? You're certainly not dark, unless there's something you're not telling me." He grinned.

Laila's head flew up. "Of course not! What makes you think I'm not telling you something, there's nothing to tell!" she sputtered quickly.

"Hold it, hold it! I wasn't accusing you of anything! It's called a joke! But, I bet you don't see much of that around here do you?"

"No…" she said trying to regain her composure.

"So, where are you going anyway?" she said, trying to change the topic from her to him. She would never get the information she needed if they kept talking about her.

"Some distant system, I'm not really even sure what it's called." Luke stated, picking at a piece of lint on his tunic.

"Okay, what are you going there for?" she asked.

"Do you believe you can choose you own destiny? I mean, do you think it's right of other people to expect something of you, even if you had nothing to do with it?" he asked suddenly looking at her.

"Well…I believe no one has the right to choose someone else's destiny, if that's what you mean. You are your own, no one else can choose who you become."

Luke looked thoughtful for a minute or two, as if really taking into consideration what Laila had said.

"Good." He said at last, "That's what I hoped you would think. And I'm looking for someone, that's why I'm going to this system." He said, finally answering her question.

At that moment, Luke felt a sudden jolt through the Force. It was quick and sharp, and ended within a second or so, but it was a harsh jolt, almost like someone was angry.

"I have to go, Luke!" Laila said hurriedly.

"Wait! Why?" Luke asked, confused, not only from the jolt, but also from her scared expression.

"Uh…I have to go to the bathroom. Yeah, that's it, bathroom!" she said, an obviously made-up excuse, "You know, girl stuff." She added, just to get him to shut-up.

Luke just nodded, heat rising up in his cheeks.

Laila rushed out to the street, nearly falling on her face. She could feel his presence getting stronger. All she had to do was follow the trail the Force had left for her and she would find him.

All of a sudden she was pulled into a small alley with thick shadows.

She screamed, but a gloved hand covering her mouth muffled it.

"It's alright Padawan, it's only me. What took you so long?"

Laila sighed, relieved as she heard the familiar iron lung breathing as her Master waited for her answer.

"I'm sorry, Master, that boy you have me tracking is quite the talker." She replied.

"Well, then, what did you find out?" he asked severely.

"Not much," she said coldly, used to his tone with her, "But, I did figure out that he's going to a distant system; he didn't know the exact name. He's looking for someone. He's struggling with an internal conflict; I can feel it emanating from him." She said, proud how she had been able to detect the Force within him.

"Did you find out his name?" he asked.

"Yes, Luke. Luke Skywalker." She reported.

Laila's Master's body snapped up. That was not a name he had expected to be hearing anytime soon, if ever.

"Find out everything you can about him! And I don't care how you do it, just make sure you do!" he hissed at her.

"Yes Master, but might I ask why?" she inquired.

"No! You do not need to ask any questions! Curiosity is a Sith's undoing! Just go!" he shouted pointing back towards the supply shop where he could see Luke waiting patiently; his cheeks still crimson from his earlier embarrassment.

"Yes, Master Vader, I will find out all I can." Laila said, an evil gleam in her eye as she walked back towards her first real mission.

LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL

Laila walked casually back to the supply shop, plots filled with dark thoughts already forming in her mind on how to receive the information her master yearned for.

Luke heard the entrance bell jingle as Laila sauntered in.

"Um…everything…okay?" he stuttered turning redder than Laila's newly constructed lightsaber.

"What? Oh, that. Yeah, it's all good." Laila smirked at her first dark deed, lying. It wasn't very extravagant, but it made her feel good. Now the next question was, whom was Luke going to go see?

"So… are you busy today?" Luke asked trying to look cool. There weren't many girls on Tatooine, so he wasn't very good at the whole ask-a-girl-out-on-a-date thing.

"Why do you want to know?" she said fluttering her eyelashes. Knowing full well what he was hinting at.

She was not making this very easy, and she knows it Luke thought in distress.

"Because, I want…I wanted to know If you wanted to go out, to lunch…with me." He said looking at his shoes.

"Like a…date?" Laila said, smiling, it was fun to embarrass Luke, and quite easy.

"Yes, I mean, if you wanted it to be, it wouldn't have to be, I mean-" the words spilled out of him much more quickly than he would have wished.

"I would be honored to go out on a date with you Luke. Pick me up at noon, okay? I'll see you then!" she skipped over to him and kissed him lightly on the cheek and then flew out of the shop.

Luke felt the place where her lips had touched him and smiled a shy smile. His shy smile was soon replaced by a Han-like cocky grin. Oh, yeah! Who's the man! Say Luke's the man! Luke's the man! He sang in his head.

As he was chanting his own praise he started to dance a little jig around the shop. Soon he was getting really into it and tripped over a fan belt and fell flat on his face.

Luke jumped up at once and looked around thankful Laila had already left and smiled again then walked out the door, the entrance bell ringing to inform no one in particular of his departure. But, someone was watching… and laughing hysterically.