White Rabbits (Star Wars, 9/?)

[butterfly]

Title: White Rabbits
Chapter: 9/?
Author: Diana Michelle (butterfly)
Warnings: Spoilers for Revenge of the Sith.
Pairing: Eventual Anakin/Obi-Wan.
Rating: PG/PG-13-ish.
Summary: Leia discovers a little more than she wanted to know.
Disclaimer: Not Lucas, don't own a thing, not making any money.
Chapter Index

Chapter Nine -- Tree of Knowledge

“Obi-Wan,” Leia said, reaching out to touch his sleeve. Luke almost turned back towards them, but seemed to pick up on her thought that she wanted to talk to Obi-Wan alone for a moment, and instead continued on into the ship.

 

“Yes?” Obi-Wan asked.

 

“I’m not entirely sure how to say this,” Leia said.

 

“Say what, exactly?” Obi-Wan said.

 

“I wasn’t expecting him to… care about anyone but himself. I guess I never really believed Luke, not in my heart.”

 

“Believed Luke about what?”

 

“That Vader could have ever been a good man,” Leia said.

 

“Vader?” Obi-Wan asked, sounding more than a little distasteful.

 

“That’s the name he takes. Well, it’s the name that I know him by,” Leia said. “But… I think that I want to know more because… he’s my father, too.”

 

“And why are you telling me this now?” Obi-Wan asked. Leia hesitantly looked into his eyes, searching for any hint of surprise or knowledge. She found nothing but kindness.

 

“I didn’t want to lie, not to you,” she said. “I didn’t mean to, the first time. I do think of Bail Organa as my real father – he’s the man who raised me, the one who loved me, the one who taught everything that I needed to know about life and democracy.”

 

“So you and Luke are…”

 

“Twins,” Leia said, glancing away from Obi-Wan.“Will you tell me about Anakin Skywalker? And about my mother?”

 

“If that’s what you’d like,” Obi-Wan said.

 

“It is,” Leia said.

 

“You have her eyes and her hair, but your features are much more like Anakin’s,” Obi-Wan said, his voice softer, lower. He reached out then, his cool hand cupping the side of her face. Her gaze met his again, and his eyes looked darker now. “Your… brother is just the reverse. I suppose that I didn’t want to see that.”

 

“No?” Leia asked, standing very still.

 

“I think that you were right, Leia,” Obi-Wan said. “My affection for Anakin has blinded me to many things, including how strongly he feels about your mother. When I truly consider just how much he tries to hide even those feelings that I do pick up on…”

 

“I’m sorry, that you found out like this,” Leia said.

 

“It’s not your fault, not anyone’s,” Obi-Wan said. His eyes were so much more complicated, when she was this close to him – she could see the darker ring of color around the edge of the pupil now and that there were tiny brown imperfections scattered in the shades of blue. His mouth was set in a careful line as he continued to study her features, and his hair had fallen forward slightly. His hand slid up from her jaw to trace the line of her cheekbone and she couldn’t stop herself from shivering. “I shall tell you anything that you’d like to know.”

 

“Thank you,” Leia said, pulling away from Obi-Wan’s touch. She reached up to brush some strands of hair behind her ears, feeling a little warm. “We should go. Into the ship.”

 

“Are you all right?” Obi-Wan asked, his hand slowly dropping to his side.

 

“Fine. Good. Great,” Leia said, backing up a step. “I’m going to go find Luke. We’ll… talk later.”

 

“Whenever you’d like,” Obi-Wan said.

 

“Thank you,” Leia said again, her voice barely a whisper this time. She turned towards the ship, finally breaking eye contact with Obi-Wan, and hurried up the ramp.

 

Oh, she had a bad feeling about this.

~end chapter nine~