borntorebel | ✧ Fourth Rebellion ✧ [Audio]

[After finding the apartment that Padmé and Anakin shared empty of her mother and her father practically catatonic, Leia tries very hard not to panic. She's tried numerous times to get Anakin to respond, but he's done nothing more than blink and just stare through her. She can still feel Luke and a quick search turns up Han in the apartment the three shared. There's no trace of Padmé anywhere and the journal that Leia's grown to associate with the other woman has disappeared as well.

She tries to send a message to her mother, but it's returned, as if....

A deep breath later, Leia knows what it means. She turns on the audio function of her journal. She has an announcement to make, since she'd realized that Obi-Wan left the day before as well.]

For those of you who knew Padmé Amidala and Obi-Wan Kenobi, I regret to inform you that they've returned home.

[She won't think about what that means for Padmé. She can't. Instead, she does what she does the best—work while stressed.]

Also, if you've spoken with John or any of the other original residents of this enclosure, I'd like to speak to you. Please.

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[He's pretty sure that he'd do much the same, in Anakin's situation. Even without what was going to happen to Padmé. And maybe that thought makes him hold Leia a little tighter than the situation alone required.

He can't even offer the hope of safety. Not when they know.]

Both at once.

[Just for good measure.]

[She understands how Anakin feels, really, she does. But she can't let it control her like that. No, it can't.

She needs the solid feel of Han right now, silent and comforting until she can gather herself completely.]

I don't think so. Not that it matters. He's alone with no one he really knows, Han.

[And she doesn't know what to do to help him.]

[He doesn't know either. He's just trying to look after Leia, right now. That's what he knows how to do.]

There's no easy answer here.

[Leia only snorts at that, finding everything pretty horrible right then but knowing she can't afford the weakness that crying will mean right then. She could do that later.

Maybe.]

I won't leave him alone like that. No one deserves to be closed off like that.

[Even if she understands why he's done it.]

I've got you.

[He runs a hand up and down her back. If she did want to cry, he would be here.]

It's just him in that apartment now, isn't it.

I know.

[Force, the feeling of him right then is so much better than internalizing everything that hurts, but crying right then is so selfish and she can't do it. She has responsibilities that she has to see to first. Namely, Anakin himself.]

Yes, he's by himself, but he won't leave it. I...I shouldn't leave him alone for long. He needs to know that someone here still cares about him.

Do you want me to come with you? Or would that make it worse?

[Things between him and Anakin are beyond awkward. But that doesn't mean he deserves anything like this. Even if his priority is really just to support Leia.]

[She pulls away from him to look up at his face. The offer in and of itself is beyond anything that she would have asked of him. If there's a way to love him more, he's accomplished it with just that natural offer.

Slowly, she shakes her head and gives him a soft smile.]

Not right now. Maybe once he's less...unresponsive.

Okay.

[THey're just going to have to muddle through this. Figure it out somehow.]

Just remember I'm here for you.

[She imagines they'll do just fine. They always have somehow.]

I might need your help with him later, but for now, I'll try it alone.

Okay.

[He's going to be keeping an eye on her, making sure she's taking care of herself.]

It would help if there hadn't already been so much avoiding going on.

[She won't, but that's okay. That's why she has a keeper, right?]

It can't be helped. Things worth doing aren't ever easy. Besides, with the personalities in our family, if there wasn't some discomfort somewhere, the galaxy would end.

None of us exactly fade into the background, that's true.

[She's right. It's more or less inevitable that they clash at some point.]

We'll figure this out somehow.

And it's lucky for our galaxy that that's the case. It just makes interacting with each other difficult.

[She closes her eyes and puts her head against his shoulder again.]

Later. Just...give me a minute.

Take whatever time you need.

[He'll just stick to holding her. It's about all he can do in this scenario]

I feel really tired, but I can't justify going to sleep in the middle of the day.

[It does feel good to just let him hold her like this. It's not very often that she feels so out of control, that she has to deal with the fact that one of her parents is gone, returned to the Force.]

It's stupid, but it just feels like it's wrong to do that.

You're allowed to nap if you're tired.

[He doesn't really expect her to. But he always had to bring up the option.]

But how about some coffee?

Edited 2014-11-01 00:43 (UTC)

[She looks up at him for a minute. Naps are a big no, since she didn't even enjoy them as a child. But she does appreciate the fact that Han is there to remind her that she's human and that it's okay to be so.]

That sounds good actually.

I feel like I should be doing something, however. I'm just not sure what that is right now.

[He starts leading her toward the kitchen.]

I don't know either. Is there anything but time?

[She follows along fairly tamely. She's 1) too tired to fight back and 2) has no reason to do so when she trusts Han so much.]

I'm not sure that that is true, Han. Mother's disappearance has made it perfectly clear that we might not have as much time as we thought before.

[Once they reach the kitchen he starts preparing coffee]

So you don't think we can just wait?

[He's drawing a pretty big blank here]

[She does what she can to assist him, trying her best to keep her hands busy so that she doesn't have to really think about what's bothering her.]

I think whatever purpose our returning to the past is going to serve will probably make itself known. There have been too many meetings with the original people of the enclosure as of late for nothing to be happening.

[Welcome to how politicians pay attention to things. Convoluted to say the least.]

Maybe a sense of purpose will help.

[It always seems to help her. Will it help Anakin?]

Considering how much like him I am, according to...Mother, that wouldn't be surprising in the least. The trick will just to get him mobile first.

[Which she fears might require a lot of angry words from either her or Luke. Of from Anakin aimed at either of them.]

[Han still doesn't see that much in common between the two of them, really. Possibly because he's stubborn.]

Everyone likes to feel useful.

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borntorebel - 2014-11-11 23:00 (UTC) - Expand

notsosolo - 2014-11-13 04:06 (UTC) - Expand