Power Lust
Part 11: Awakening
By SJ and Tatiana 09-05-00/13-04-01
Suggested and co-written with Tatiana (aa354105@econophone.ch)

_____________________________
Disclaimers: None of those characters belong to me. See my
front page for more details. (http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Quasar/3702)

Note about the story's copyrights: All the rights related to the basic idea of
Mon Mothma's scheme and the ensuing alliance between Luke and Vader belong to
Tatiana, and so do Vader's personality and the Sathed history. The rest of the
story is a fusing of our imaginations since we've passed the story back and
forth between ourselves :)

Also, special thanks to my shy, secret beta-reader and best friend, Adrianne,
for her help with the final editing of my new stories. I appreciate :)
_________________________________

Luke took his time to consider the weighty question.

If he only thought about his sister's needs, then he didn't want to wake her up
to a kaleidoscope of pains.

On the other hand, if he only thought about himself, he couldn't wait to have
her back with him, in the world of the living and the way she used to be. Even
though he regularly contacted her soul to help her healing, it wasn't like when
she was awake. Her warmth, her very essence wasn't there anymore; only her
thoughts were there, and they were cold and emotionless except for her hatred
that was directed at their father.

If only to break this awful stillness that was isolating her from him, he
admitted shamefully, he wanted to wake her up. However, if he thought along
those lines, then whatever happened next would also be worth it, for her, him,
but also for Han and their father.

And what if he thought about those two men? he wondered next. If he did, then
he realized that he would also wake her up, but for different reasons.

The two of them loved her in a different fashion than he did. Both men were so
protective of his sister that if he didn't know better, he would think that they
were vying against each other for her attentions.

It was ridiculous of course, and even if it were the case, he conceded to
himself, nothing could rival with Han's selflessness when it came to Leia...
although their father seemed to be able of boundless love in some cases... like
he had been with their mother.

At this, Luke forced himself to remain on his track of thoughts: his sister.

One thing was sure, he surmised for himself: both men loved her and wanted her
back with them.

Han had long since stopped pretending to be aloof when Vader was around. He now
openly showed his worry and desire to help his lover. He wanted to do something
for her because he couldn't 'bear' anymore to be helpless in face of his lover's
torment. Of course, he still had a tendency to take it out on the dark lord,
but he at least didn't have an urge to pound on him anymore.

Luke smiled slightly as he remembered a few scenes of the past month; yes, he
nodded to himself, Han had 'behaved'.

And his father... his father... Vader had also dropped part of his mask, he had
to admit.

Well, as much as he could anyway. After all, his real mask wasn't helping him
to look like anything else but the dangerous dark lord who had caused them all
much torment... but, he cared about his daughter, if in a cool fashion.

Naturally, Luke conceded that he wouldn't be the type to hug and kiss his
children if he had the chance, but he would definitely lend them all the support
that he could find, as well as protect them from any harm.

Vader didn't love, Luke summarized to himself, but his boundless care
compensated.

Now, if only Leia knew what he had already done for her, he then thought
earnestly. Ever since the medics had begun to rebuild her face and body, the
dark lord had tripled-checked every procedure to prevent any side-effect or
oversight ; he had also always been at her side during the procedures, much like
a watch dog that was ready to defend his master at the slightest sign of danger.

Unlike a dog though, their father wasn't restraining himself to her physical
safety only; he was also keeping an eye on her soul, baring his own soul to hers
whenever dark hatred seemed to resurface in her senses.

At first, it had happened very frequently, but it was less so now.

Because..., Luke sadly realized, she was truly letting herself die.

He closed his eyes in acceptance of the horrible truth.

Never in his life had he ever imagined that his sister would just give up. No,
he tried to deny his discovery. She was a fighter, a stubborn woman who
embraced life like she embraced her family and friends: with passion.

She just couldn't possibly let herself die.

Yet, he sighed forlornly, she was... His father was right, he admitted sadly.
Even though her body was healing well, and even though her scars were much less
disfiguring than they had been, her soul wasn't healing at all.

For a fleeting moment, he reached out and checked on his sister; he got no
answer whatsoever.

It helped him to put the final touch to his decision; even without the Force, he
now knew what he had to do.

He stood up and went in search of his father.

It was time to wake his sister from her coma.

******

Han was in the observation room, as usual.

What was not usual though was his absence of reaction to Vader's presence. He
barely spared a glance at the Dark Lord when he entered the small room, then he
turned back to watch the medics who were examining Leia.

Vader silently stood beside him, also watching the progress of his daughter.

They eventually broke the silence a few minutes later. Or rather, Han did.

"I still can't understand how she can be your ..." he hesitated. "Your
daughter. And still..."

"The more you study her and the more you will understand," Vader answered
coolly.

"I hate to admit it," Han muttered unhappily, "but you're right.

"I know."

"She is very much like you," the smuggler conceded with a sigh.

Much was expressed in that sigh, Vader noted. Weariness, acceptance, worry.

"You can't imagine how painful it is for me to know that she is your daughter,"
the younger man half-whispered, "But she does have your explosive temper and
will for power..."

"Yes. Fortunately though, she is also everything that I am not," Vader said
warmly.

"What do you mean?"

"She is good, Solo. She is inhabited by a Light, like her mother was... She
will never become as twisted and cynical as I am," he tried to reassure the
confused smuggler, yet he inwardly added: 'She will never become a monster like
I am.'

"I'll see to it," Han commented lightly.

"I see that your feelings haven't changed," Vader observed in relief.

Now that Solo knew the truth of Leia's parentage, he had truly feared that the
other would reject her. Thus, he had tried to prepare himself to deal with a
heart-broken and soul-broken daughter, but it seemed that he had underestimated
the pirate's feelings for Leia.

Exactly like Luke had warned him against, he then admitted to himself.

"In your dreams," Han snorted in answer to his previous comment. "Your being
her father isn't important; what is important are my feeling for her... But,"
he shrugged a little, "let's just say that I understand her better now."

"Good."

"Good? Just like that?" he challenged in disbelief. "Luke said that you're not
happy with the idea of me as your son-in-law?"

"I'm not, but my feelings in this matter are not important," the dark lord
answered simply.

"Oh?"

"As long as you behave," he added, as if in after thought.

"What does that mean?" Han asked, suddenly irritated anew.

"That I will not tolerate anymore foolish displays of your well imitated
temper," the dark lord warned, and Han could almost swear that the man was
smirking under that mask of his.

"What you are tal---"

"Exactly like what you're doing now. Stop hiding behind that mask, Solo.
I
know that it isn't the real you," he sternly reminded him.

"Oh..." Han nodded and stopped trying to pretend being angry. "Well, it's valid
for you too, then. You want to understand me; the same goes for me."

"What do you want to know?" Vader offered.

"Do you love them?" he asked bluntly.

"My children? Yes."

"Enough to not sacrifice them to your goal, even if they make the difference
between victory and defeat?" Han asked pointedly.

Vader took a moment to reconsider his opinion of his future son-in-law. Solo
was indeed clever, sharp, as well as more attentive than he had thought.
And unlike Luke, he could see both the evil and the good in him, which meant
that he remained wary about his intentions.

Luke, he then reflected thoughtfully, was still too naive to make that dichotomy
by himself. He himself needed to constantly remind him of his true self if he
didn't want him to 'fall' for him.

"You understand me well, Solo," he admitted with a slight bow, "but yes, as far
as my children are concerned, I would not sacrifice them."

"Do you care enough to not harm them?" Han asked, demanding for precision.

"Your meaning of harm is not mine. In my terms, I do not harm them."

"I see," Han commented matter-of-factly, accompanying his retort with a raised
eyebrow. "And what of me and Chewie?"

"You are a matter of great importance to my daughter. Harming or destroying
you would harm her badly, so I will not touch you either."

"I see... Do you hate me? personally?" Han inquired although it seemed to be a
difficult question for him.

"No. What for?" Vader frowned in confusion.

"Because I used to hate you," Han admitted bluntly.

"Used?"

"Yeah," the smuggler shrugged. "I don't think that I do anymore."

"Why?" Vader asked, genuinely puzzled by this turn of events.

"I don't have any hatred left," Han shrugged again. "It's all burned away.
Besides, she is your daughter. I would probably not help her healing if she
knew that I hate her father."

Vader added wise to the list of qualities of his son-in-law. "Do you really
love her?" he inquired much like Solo had done with him the previous instant.

"Yes," came the instant reply. "Even more than I love my own life."

And with that, he knew that he had pierced Solo's mask, as well as ascertained
that their children had indeed well chosen their best friend. Solo was a man of
heart, head, and ideals.

"My compliments for your mask, Solo," he answered coolly. "Very impressive."

"I used to be like this, a long while ago," the smuggler tilted his head
slightly. "It seems that people appreciate more the hot-headed stupid smuggler
that I pretend to be than the cynic bastard that I really am. Leia loves him
tough."

"And my son cherishes your friendship," the dark lord reminded him coolly. "In
your place Solo, I'd give more credit to my children. They know you better than
you think. As do I."

"Meaning?"

"That your mask is a double protection; a reflection of your real self as a
first level mask, and a monster's face as a second level. An excellent
trick, but I can't confuse the illusion with the reality. You are as much a
monster as I am an angel."

"I see your point... But... I'm a smuggler, an outlaw."

"And a man with ideals," Vader returned playfully.

"Damn you!" Solo suddenly exclaimed in annoyance at being cornered so
efficiently by his most probable father-in-law.

"I am already, thank you very much."

Solo stared at the dark lord, then his hard gaze softened. "What do you expect
of me?" he asked him pointedly.

The dark lord indicated the nearby bay-window. "Love her. Help her. With Luke's
agreement, I'll wake her up tomorrow. She might need your assistance."

"what??? You will harm her again!?" he suddenly exclaimed in disbelief. "Why?
I thought that---"

"To insure her survival, Solo. Mentally speaking, she's dying right now."

Much like Luke had done in the library, Solo calmed down and took a long moment
to consider his words, then finally nodded in agreement. "I'll help her, and
I'll behave."

"Good."

"As long you're doing the same," the younger man then warned the dark lord, the
ghost of a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

Vader openly laughed. "Very well, Solo. I think that we can call it a truce."

"A truce? On what terms?" the smuggler frowned.

"That we both behave ourselves and help Leia to heal."

"Deal," Han said, offering his hand to the dark lord.

They strongly shook hands, then Vader nodded and left the room, satisfied that
yet another element of his daughter's recovery had been dealt with.

******

The next morning, father and son were inside the princess's room. Luke was
dressed in a sterile suit, but unlike the other times that he had been allowed
in his sister's room, his face wasn't covered. Only his hair and body were.

At first, his father hadn't agreed with his decision to be in the room upon his
sister's awakening, but in the end, the dark lord had relented. He knew all too
well that if something wrong happened, he needed him in the room, ready to help
and physically close by to reassure his distraught sister.

And gods knew that many things could go wrong during their upcoming session.

Luke stood beside his sister, gazing down on her badly scarred but now
recognizable features. In time, he knew that they would completely disappear,
becoming little more than faded marks on her skin.

He could only hope that it would be the same for her psyche.

His father broke his silent pondering of the future. "When you're ready, Son,"
he informed him warmly.

Right, Luke reminded himself, bringing himself back to the present. The time to
consider the advantages and drawbacks of his decision was over and it was time
to act. Besides, he reminded himself, even though he knew that he would be
responsible for his sister's torment, he still remained true to his decision: it
was time to wake her up.

He rested his hand against his sister's head.

*Forgive me, Leia,* he sent her, then looked up and nodded to his father.

Vader lightly rested his fingers against Leia's right temple; Luke felt his
senses search for Leia's presence. He followed him in.

Unlike the first time that they had contacted her, they didn't have to coax down
any wall. The dark lord's spirit easily slipped inside Leia's mind. However,
he didn't establish contact with her healing center this time ; instead, he
focused his attention on her center of awareness.

*Leia, daughter, hear me,* Vader called out in a gentle voice.

*Go away,* Leia answered, her mental voice devoid of any emotion.

*Leia, you are a fighter, you can't let this challenge destroy you,* he sent
her.

Luke watched from a distance, as he had agreed to do.

*I can and I do; it is all your fault, dark tormentor that you are,* she
spat venomously in answer.

Luke wanted to step in, to tell her that she was wrong. Vader continued to try
to make her rouse herself.

*And if you don't fight back, you will loose. Do you really want to loose,
Princess?* he asked her.

*I don't care...* she answered, once again drawing away from Vader's presence.

*You might lie to yourself in this state, daughter, but deep down, you know that
you want to live.*

*Prove it,* she reflexively challenged him.

Vader was more than glad to prove her wrong. He pushed a jolt of adrenaline in
her system, rousing her from her deeply inactive state.

Luke reintegrated his senses just in time to hear his sister's gasp of shock and
surprise as she recovered her own senses.

Then, she began to scream.

Not a weak scream, nor one of pain, but one of fright.

"NOOOOO, NOOOOOO, it's not true!!!!!!!" she wailed in horror, weakly trying to
draw away from the dark lord's presence.

Luke instantly understood what was going on; she had indeed become aware of her
family's secret, exactly like her father had told him she would. Coupled with
her conscious torment, it had to be horrifying; he hurried to comfort her.

The dark lord also tried to soothe her.

"Leia, calm down, you will only---".

She only screamed louder and continued to writhe away from her father. Behind
the observation window, Han was forcing himself to remain where he was instead
of dashing inside the room.

Luke finally took hold of his sister's free hand and leaned closer to her still
laying body.

"Leia, it's okay, sssh... calm down..." he crooned as he tried to keep her from
hurting herself.

Even his best efforts didn't soothe her except for the fact that Leia took hold
of his lapel, aware that she wasn't alone with the dark lord anymore. However,
her level of fear remained alarmingly high.

Sadly understanding that his father's presence wasn't helping her, Luke threw
him a serious look. "Leave us, Father," he told him. His request seemed to
surprise the dark lord. He repeated it. "Wait outside," he instructed him over
his sister's muffled cries of anguish and despair.

The dark lord finally noticed the way that the weak woman was clutching at her
brother's clothes as if she would never let go, how she was burying her tear-
streaked face against his shoulder. He nodded, then turned away and left
without a word.

Once they were alone, Luke turned his face to see his sister's tears' streaked
features. He gently wiped her tears with his fingers, careful to not touch her
scars.

"Ssssh, Leia, it's okay, you're safe now, ssshh."

She didn't open her eyes ; she continued to sob. "Luke, please don't tell me
that it's true--- he can't be---" she whispered.

"I wish that I could lie, dear sister," Luke sighed, " but I can't... I'm
sorry."

"No...," she moaned, then clutched Luke's medical suit with her surprisingly
strong right hand.

Luke, who had no choice but to loom over her as if he were bodily protecting
her, took hold of it in his own right hand, enveloping it with the warmth of
his hand. "Leia..." Luke half-whispered, searching for a way to help her cope
with the truth.

"I want to die, Luke..." she whispered listlessly. "I'm tired to hurt, to be
unloved..."

"Leia, you 'are' loved," he told her earnestly. "You are more loved than you
could ever imagine."

She opened her beautiful brown eyes to look at him.

"I hope that you will forgive me for not telling you about our father before...
and for waking you up, sister, but I love you... and so does Han---"

She meant to tell him that he wouldn't love her anymore; Luke didn't give her
the chance to argue.

"He already knows about the truth, about our secret, Leia. His love for you
hasn't changed since I've told him." He smiled at his sister. "In fact, I
think that it has redoubled."

His exhausted, pain-afflicted sister gazed at him with her half-closed eyes,
then she resumed her crying.

This time though, they were tears of joy. Luke carefully leaned close enough to
hug her while not adding to her pain.

"We all love you and care for you, Leia. Don't ever doubt the depth of our
feelings for you, princess Leia Organa, sister of Luke Skywalker,... daughter of
Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader."

Leia's strong right hand clutched his clothes as strongly as she could while she
sobbed in relief. "I was so afraid... that you wouldn't---" she hiccuped
through her sobs.

"I know, Leia, I know exactly how you feel," he comforted her, sending her warm
feelings through the Force.

When he felt her recover a somewhat cooler composure, he slightly drew away from
her.

"That was why you were so holed up..." she reflected weakly as she referred to
what he had hinted at in his last comment.

Bespin.

"Yes..." he nodded, "I didn't want to tell you; I was afraid to hurt you worse
than he did aboard the Death Star... I didn't want you to bear this knowledge,
even after I discovered the rest of the truth about ourselves."

"Luke... you know you could---" she said, barely shaking her head in exhausted
annoyance.

"Have trusted you? Yes, I know. Do you forgive me?" he asked her.

"Yes..." she whispered.

"Even for waking you up in this state?" he specified.

"It was your decision?" she asked him with a slight frown.

"Yes. I knew that even though it would hurt you... that it was the only option
that we had left to truly heal you," he answered softly.

Her eyes brimmed with tears once again. Luke gently rubbed her cheek dry.

She took a deep breath, then brought her hand from his shoulder to his own hand.
"Yes, brother, I forgive you. I needed to know that you and Han still loved
me," she told him in a breathy voice.

"Father does too, you know?"

"Vader?"

"Yes. Well, it is more exact to say that he cares, but he has done everything
he could to help you, and if you let him, he will do so until you're back to
your feet."

"Vader?" she asked again in bemusement.

"Yes... Some things have changed in his life, Leia, and while he isn't the
epitome of a father, he is not too bad. He is demanding, coolly disposed, but
underneath his mask, he cares about us."

"Has he hurt you?" she asked him, slight worry piercing her weakened state.

"No. He has made me study all kinds of stuff to be able to read the books in
his library, but otherwise... he hasn't pressured me in any way."

"And Han?"

"Han and Chewie are fine too, but I'll let Han tell you that himself, okay?"

He gently pried himself loose from his sister's hold, then motioned toward the
observation window. Han didn't wait for more incentive and rushed toward the
preparation room.

"He's here?" Leia asked him, some eagerness creeping into her still weak voice.

"Yes, and I'd say that he's more than eager to see you again," Luke smiled at
her. "I'll come back later on, okay?" he informed her.

"Okay."

Luke had almost reached the door before she spoke again.

"Luke?" she whispered.

He turned around toward her. She forced her eyes to remain open.

"If... Vader wants to see me... can you come with him?" she asked him.

"Yes, I will," he promised her.

It was a first step, he reflected. Instead of completely refusing to see their
father, she had decided to slowly make acquaintances, but not without her
brother's presence.

There was hope.

The door opened to reveal the worried/relieved features of his friend.

"She's waiting for you buddy," he told him, then left him alone with his sister.

TBC in part 12: Family

Copyright 2001, Skyjade and Tatiana (aa354105@econophone.ch)
Webmaster : (skyjade@globetrotter.net)(Any positive stuff is welcome,
but any mean stuff won't even be read.)

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