Never Let You Go

Chapter 9

"I love you." He whispered. He watched as a smile came across his wife's lips.

"I know." She whispered back.

"I'm sorry if I woke you."

"It's alright. I haven't been asleep that long." He nodded. He was afraid that he woke her.

"How was time with the ladies?"

"It was good. We talked."

"Oh? What about? You bragging about me sweetheart?!" he teased. She giggled.

"We talked about my childhood and we discussed Padme some more, and we talked about the baby. I told them that we're going to find out the gender soon." She smiled.

"I'm sure they were very excited." He said, running his fingers through her hair with a smile.

"They were over the moon about it. How was your night with the guys?"

"It was great. Darred seems like a great guy, so does Ruwee."

"That's good."

"See? There was nothing to be nervous about."

"I know that now. I was only nervous because I didn't know how they would feel about Vader's daughter."

"Leia, you know that they would love you no matter what. You're Ruwee and Jobal's daughter's daughter." Leia laughed at him.

"Now you lost me there." She teased. He smiled and gave a small laugh.

"My point is. Leia, you're a piece of Padme. They miss her. They never knew you were related to them and they've probably known you your whole life."

"I know." She nodded.

"You know, from the pictures I've seen of her and what I've heard about her on this trip, you are so much like her. Beautiful, courageous, smart..."

"I get it." She said, slowly rolling away from him. His smile, now a frown.

"What? What did I say?"

"I just want to go to sleep." She mumbled.

      Han thought that was odd, but he figured that it's just because she's pregnant. He hoped that was the reason why she suddenly gave him the cold shoulder. He just simply nodded.

"Okay, sweetheart. I love you, Leia." He turned out the light.

"Love you too." He heard her whisper out.

      Blackness. That's all that surrounded her.

"You are so much like her." She heard Han's voice echo.

"Very beautiful, smart, like you." Jobal's voice echoed.

      Then she heard people yelling in the distance, like they were in distress. Then the memories came flooding back to her. Han. Carbonite. Jabba. Vader. Torture. Torture. Luke. Bespin. Fett. Torture. This was pure torture. She knew she had to be dreaming. 'Wake up Leia!' she thought. 'It's not real. You're just imagining things'. Then it all stopped. It became eerily quiet. She was on a swivel. Suddenly she stopped. The sound of a rebreather was getting louder. Vader came toward her. His shiny mask reflecting in the small light that had suddenly appeared.

"What do you want?" she yelled at him.

      He just kept walking toward her. He was holding the light in his hand. He stopped when he was right in front of her. Her eyes went wide at the sight. His mask somehow had disappeared. He held out the light to her.

"Take it, Leia. Take this light. Protect it from darkness." He said.

"W-what is it?"

"Take it, Leia. Take this light." He said as he faded away. The light still remained.

      She grabbed the light and held it in her hands. She looked at the light. Then she heard a sound come from there. It was a baby's cry. She shook her head in disbelief and cried.

"No, n-n-n-n-no!" She screamed.

      Leia tried to run away from the light. She understood it now. What it stood for. The light was her child. Then it clicked.

"Protect it from darkness." Vader's voice echoed in her ears. Then she heard another voice. One more desperate and it was getting louder.

"Leia! C'mon Leia! Wake up, sweetheart. Leia!" The darkness was gone and she opened her eyes and gasped. Finally, free from her nightmare.

"Leia! Sweetheart? I'm right here. I'm right here." He said, bringing her into his embrace. His wife's face was drenched in tears and sweat.

"Han?" she said, shakily.

"Shhh. It's okay, Leia. I got you. It was just another nightmare. It's okay. Shhh." Leia kept sobbing as he rocked her, trying to calm her down.

"Don't leave me." She sobbed.

"I won't. I'm right here. I will never leave."