Tattooine was...well...she wasn't really sure how to describe it.

Sandy...definitely sandy.

Leia grimaced as her foot sunk into another sand dune and she felt the coarse material pool at the bottom of her shoes. She was going be finding sand in her clothes and bedroom for months after, she was sure of it.

At least she could see why her father hated it here.

"Dad, where are we going?" She asked as she hurried to catch up with him. He didn't dignify it with an answer and she frowned. "Dad!"

"Keep up Leia."

"I'm trying to, but I'm not used to walking through this much sand." She muttered, as she yanked her foot out of another sand dune.

He slowed for a moment, letting her catch up, before turning.

"Leai, we have to make a quick stop and get some information."

"What's so important that you had to come here all of a sudden?" Leia asked, looking around.

"Nothing you have to worry about, I promise."

Leia didn't seem convinced, but nodded nonetheless.

"So...who's the family? I don't remember hearing about any rebel alliances here." Leia said and Anakin laughed weakly.

"Not that kind of family."

"...Will we be welcome?"

"Of course we will." Anakin said cheerily, turning around, and walking forward. "...I hope."

He couldn't keep the smile off his face as Leia groaned behind him, before she hurried to catch up with him.

Leia looked around as they walked into the farm. It was quaint, albeit plain. It wasn't like farms she had seen before, though she supposed farms looked different on each planet.

Still, it felt almost like an actual home to her. Homes in her mind were just temporary...buildings to suit a need.

The people around her were her home.

But here-

"Anakin? Is that you?"

She looked up in surprise. Not Vader, not even Skywalker. Anakin.

"Hello Owen. Um...long time no see?" Anakin offered weakly as he looked at his step-brother, scratching the back of his neck. The older man stared at Anakin for a moment, before offering a hand a bright grin on his face. Leia stared at the man, dumbstruck.

He hadn't even been kidding. This was literal family.

She had more family than just her father.

"Last time I saw you, you were only a teenager. Now look at you. We've been hearing rumors about you, rather extravagant ones."

"Probably not rumors." Anakin admitted, shaking his hand before glancing behind him, smiling lightly at Leia.

"Of course not. And who is this?"

"This is Leia...my daughter."

"Daughter?"

"Mhm."

"Well, what a surprise. I always thought I'd wind up with a nephew." Owen remarked, missing how Anakin flinched as he bent slightly to get to Leia's level. "My name is Owen Lars. I'm your father's step-brother."

"Pleased to meet you...er...Uncle Owen?" Leia said earning a grin from Owen. Owen seemed to regard her, taking her in, glancing slightly at Anakin.

A look that was akin to questioning in his eyes and Leia blinked, glancing at her father.

"Leia, why don't you go meet your aunt? Your uncle and I need to talk."

"Oh...okay." She said, curiously looking at her father as he and Owen walked down the stairs. Leia looked around, staring at the farm, before glancing back down the steps.

...well he never said she had had to find her aunt right away.

Quietly, she snuck down the steps, following the voices, trying to keep her steps as quiet as possible. It took her a few minutes to locate the familiar tenor of her father and she pressed her ear to the door.

"-she know?"

"No. She doesn't."

"Doesn't seem all that fair to her, don't you think?"

"Owen, not you too."

"Just trying to look out for her. She's only a little girl."

"She's-"

"A little girl, Anakin. Look, I may have not been there for you for most of your life, but just like I needed my father, and how you wanted to be with your mother-"

"You must be Anakin's daughter."

"Gah!"

Leia turned quickly to see a kind woman standing next to her, an amused smile across her face.

"Er...he...hello."

"It's a pleasure to meet you." The woman said, "My name is Beru. I'm Owen's wife."

"Oh...so...you must be my...aunt?" Leia commented weakly and Beru smiled.

"I am. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Ah...same?" She said weakly, glancing at the door. The voices had gone silent and her face burned at the thought of her father realizing she was trying to spy on them. Beru smiled, ruffling leia's hair.

"You're a very pretty girl, Leia." Beru said and Leia flushed slightly at the compliment. "What was your father saying that had you so interested?"

"Oh, nothing!" Leia said quickly, her blush growing deeper. Beru didn't seem convinced, but smiled again.

"Why don't I make some food for you, Sweetling?"

Silently Leia nodded, and followed Beru away from the door. There was an uncomfortable silence for several moments as Leia sat down at the table, watching as Beru began to fix up a snack.

"Now I've only just met you, but you shouldn't eavesdrop, Leia. It's not very ladylike." Beru said after another moment, and Leia sighed.

"It's not really eavesdropping." Leia argued and Beru chuckled.

"You looked as though I caught your hand in the cookie jar."

Leia flushed again.

"They were talking about my mother." Leia explained.

"Ah, Anakin never talks about her, does he?"

"No. And it's always short explanations whenever I do manage to gleam things about her."

"Maybe there's a reason for that."

"But I want to know more about her!" Leia argued as Beru worked on a snack. "I want to know what she liked or disliked, what her personality was, how she met Dad."

"All you will learn eventually." Beru said and Leia huffed.

Somehow she doubted that.

"Still, I don't think you would learn all that through a door."

"...I know." Leia muttered. "But still...I would know something else about her in some manner."

Beru frowned.

"Your father is many things, but I'm sure he has a reason to not tell you right now. Just be patient."

Leia scoffed softly.

"Since when have a Skywalker ever been patient?" She asked with a grin and Beru chuckled.

"That is true, I suppose. Owen is far from-"

"Beru, what lies are you telling my niece?" A voice rang out and Beru smiled, winking at Leia as Owen and Anakin walked into the kitchen.

"That's for me and Leia to know." She teased and Leia smiled slightly, before looking at her father.

"After lunch, we're going to make a short visit to an old associate of mine." Anakin said to her, quietly as though to not inform Owen or Beru.

"An old associate?" Leia asked, confused. Anakin smiled.

"You'll like him. I promise."

"Well he's not like you, right?" Leia asked with a grin at Anakin's confusion. "A troublemaker."

"Oh he's worse than me." He said, earning a snort.

"Somehow, I doubt that."

Anakin glanced at Leia as they climbed over another grouping of rocks, frowning. Ever since their short stop at Owen's place, he could sense her mind going a mile a minute, clearly thinking about something, yearning to speak about it, but unable or unwilling to.

"Leia, are you alright?"

"Hm? Yeah, I'm fine."

"I can sense your confusion."

"It's nothing. Just...wondering about things."

"What type of things?"

Leia hesitated, opening her mouth to respond. A split second later, a spear grazed her temple before impaling itself into the rock behind. Anakin spun around, lightsaber whirring to life, destroying another spear.

"Tusken Raiders!" He snapped, in a voice that Leia barely recognized, so, so angry. She withdrew her lightsaber as well as shrieks echoed in the valley and rushed after her father, who was already running towards the raiders.

"Dad! Dad wait!" Leia yelled out, but was promptly ignored, she cursed under her breath. Oh no, he wasn't a troublemaker or anything. She raced after him, trying to catch up, but slid to a stop as a Raider jumped down from the cliffs above, screeching at her. She dodged him as he continued to screech, jumping back as blades danced around her. She stumbled as her foot hit open air and barely managed to right herself and dodge the raider's attack.

Suddenly a deafening sound echoed behind her, the raider sliding to a stop, startled. Leia looked up in a panic, but stared at the creature standing on the rocks above.

It didn't...feel as scary as before. At least not in her opinion. Still, looks could be deceiving.

"Leia!"

Leia glanced behind her as her father hurried back, panic on his face.

"Are you alright?! What was that sound?!"

"I'm fine. And I don't really have an idea of what it was, other than it scared the raider that attacked me after you chased the others away." She said, her tone scathing. Anakin flinched and opened his mouth, about to argue.

"Why is it, you always find trouble wherever you go?"

Anakin paused before he looked up at the silhouette. Leia glanced at her father worriedly, but blinked at the grin on his face, so different than moments before. He looked YEARS younger all of a sudden.

"Where would the fun be if i wasn't adventurous?"

"Taking a well deserved rest, I assure you." Obi-Wan replied, a slight smirk on his face. "It has been awhile Anakin."

"I can say the same for you." Anakin replied.

"However I take there is a different reason for your arrival than just checking on my well-being."

Anakin glanced at Leia as did his old Master, and the aging man seemed to come to an understanding.

"Obi-wan...I need help."

Leia blinked, startled.

"This is Obi-wan Kenobi?"

Anakin chuckled as Leia observed the Jedi Knight.

"Why is that so hard to believe?" He asked as Leia pursed her lips, clearly unsure.

"He doesn't look like a knight. And why isn't he working with you?"

"It's...complicated." Anakin explained, though this didn't seem to sway her temper, instead it soured further. She looked away, frowning.

Strange.

"Come along. It's best to not linger. Those raiders are gone, but others will soon follow." Obi-Wan said, looking at Anakin. "And I think that there is something you want to talk to me about."

Anakin nodded, silent before he and Leia followed the ex-Jedi Knight out of the valley. Leia glanced at the two. She wondered if this was it had been like during the wars when they were generals together. Working side by side, trying to make the galaxy a better place.

She wondered what it had felt to see and feel everything go horribly wrong...for their comrades to be killed by soldiers they had worked side by side with.

She wondered if that was the reason Obi-Wan was here and if she truly wanted to find out why they were really in Tattooine.

It didn't take too long to arrive at Obi-Wan's home, a structure on a hillside overlooking the neverending desert of Tattooine. Anakin glanced at Leia before tossing a training bot.

"Work on your stances."

"What? Why!?"

"Because you can't stop training. Not anytime."

"But-"

"If you manage to complete the next level, you won't have to train with Wolfe next week." Anakin compromised and Leia seemed to light up.

"Promise?"

"Promise."

Leia was quiet, before snatching the training droid and exiting the home. Anakin glanced behind him at the sound of a snort.

"If it had been that easy with you, I would be with less grey hairs than I do now."

"Oh come on, you enjoyed it, don't deny it."

Obi-wan rolled his eyes, before looking at his old Padawan.

"So what has you worried?"

"A few days ago, Leia and I were ambushed when we were on a mission. We fought a Sith."

"A Sith?"

"Yes."

"Do you think there is a spy in your network? Is it possible that he's informing the Emperor?" Obi-Wan asked, calm. Anakin shook his head.

"No... It didn't seem like he was under orders...at least not this time." Anakin said, as he sat down with a sigh. "He seemed to be testing me."

"You? Or her?"

"I don't think he was aware of her prior to this."

"But now he is."

"Yes."

"Is that your concern? That the Sith knows about her?"

"...I think sooner or later they were going to find out about her." Anakin said. "She's not a weak padawan that needs me to protect her."

"She's a strong youngling."

"Yes. And she's getting stronger, Obi-Wan." Anakin said, swallowing for a moment, hesitating. "I think...I think I saw Luke when we fought that Sith."

"You saw Luke?" Obi-Wan repeated, slowly. "How?"

"I don't know...maybe it wasn't, but there was another person beside Leia when she threw that wall."

"We were all aware of the possibility that Luke might be strong with the Force as well, Anakin. "Just as we were all aware of the possibility that Leia would be strong with the Force."

"But have you ever heard of projection of a different person through the Force? Leia was stressed, I'll give her that much."

"Stress in a young Padawan can cause different things to happen. It's unique to every Padawan. And those two have a connection that few Jedi have. But there's something else. You must remember Anakin, you are gifted in the Force, it makes sense that they would bear the same abilities and if the two of them have a mental connection through the Force, they will likely use that to their advantage without even knowing it."

"This could lead to him and Padmé being in danger Obi-Wan."

"You know just as much as I do that she would have tried to contact you if she feared the Emperor was scheming to take him, Anakin. You can't go rushing to her and him and risk revealing your connection to the two. The rebellion and Leia would be in danger along with the two of them."

"I know that. It doesn't mean that this makes it easier for me." Anakin remarked and Obi-Wan smiled at him tiredly, glancing at the doorway before sighing.

"Unfortunately, nothing in life ever is."

Anakin was silent, refusing to look back at his old master, wanting desperately to see the one person in this galaxy, but unable to fulfill that want.

And that was what truly hurt.

Leia stared at the door as she pushed away from it, blinking several times in confusion, laced with panic. Luke? Padmé?

Of course she remembered her imaginary friend Luke, but she couldn't recall ever telling her father about him. And why would he be worried if Luke had appeared? Why was that so important to him that he couldn't say that in front of her.

And who was Padmé?

Frowning she wandered out to the yard, looking around. R2 beeped, rolling up to her. She swallowed, looking at the droid.

"R2...what am I going to do?"