Well, here we are at the end. Thank you to all who took the time to read this :) If you enjoyed it, please look for my next fic, Mission Misfire. It is the prequel to this story in a series of three called Reversal. Have a wonderful weekend!

Epilogue

Leia Organa had taken private quarters on the Medical Frigate to stay close to Luke. He was all she had now.

Sharp grief swept through her again and she closed her eyes to dam the tears. It was so hard to believe that Han was gone, trapped in that horrid block of carbonite, enduring some hellish nightmare. Was he conscious? Was he in pain? She hoped desperately that he wasn't in some wakeful state that allowed him such awareness.

She hadn't told Luke about Han and herself. She hadn't needed to. Somehow, he had already known. He hadn't confided in her either. She didn't know what exactly had happened with Darth Vader, but it had changed Luke. He seemed suddenly much older. Vader…

Standing in the harsh, surreal light of the carbon freezing chamber, Leia had stared at Vader through her fear and heartache. Never before had she been so certain that a monster hid behind that mask.

Nothing was as it had been. How had the galaxy turned end over end and spat them out? Hadn't the Empire taken enough from her? She had already lost her entire planet and everyone she ever loved. Now, they had taken Han too. Leia felt broken.

She had to stay strong. Again. She had to believe that Lando and Chewie would get to Han and that she could rescue him. As soon as they secured his exact location, she would meet them and launch a rescue mission. She couldn't function until then. She never thought anything would cause her allegiance to the Alliance to waver. She never thought she would abandon them for personal gain. But she had no choice. She couldn't not do it. She had never before been selfish. This time, she would put her wants and desires first. This one time.

At least she had told him she loved him. She regretted not saying it hundreds of times before.

'I know.'

Of course he had. He knew how she felt before she herself did. She could still see him as they lowered the platform, the fear and regret etched in his face. That last moment of anguish…

Desolation filled her and, for a moment, she couldn't bear it. The loss was crippling.

No. She couldn't let this destroy her. She had to endure. For Han.

END